My Last Few Days With You
by Dreamer Boy
Summary: Sora catches a serious illness, which frightens both him and Kairi, as it is possible he will die and they will lose each other. The two lovers spend what could be Sora's final days together as much as they can. Will they admit their feelings for each other before it's too late? SoKai.
1. Best Friends

**Hi there! This is my newest Kingdom Hearts story - and as usual, it's a SoKai one. :P I'm hoping this story while being one of my most moving stories. I didn't orignally plan on writing it just yet, but now, here is the first of many chapters to come. I hope you will enjoy. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square Enix.**

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Destiny Islands was the same as it had always been since before Sora had left it.

The sun was high up in the blue sky, shining brightly and beating down on the soft, yellow sand on the beach of the small island. The sea was its usual beautiful bright blue and waves were gently washing onto the shore. Still standing on the left side of the beach was the tall, wooden pier, which always served as a dock for anyone travelling by boat to visit the island. Even when in their boat, they would be able to clearly see the natural beauty of the part of Destiny Islands that many teenagers were drawn to. At the rear end of the beach, built amongst the tall trees with many dark green leaves were wooden pathways and bridges of different levels. Two narrow waterfalls were to the left of the wooden structures with one of the few sandy paths surrounding the circular, bright blue pool their water was falling into and keeping full.

A wooden shack with no windows but one door stood on the right of the small hill where the pool was. Its rear wall was a few centimetres taller than its front one. The two side walls were the same height, but their top edges had been cut diagonally by the circular saw that had helped to build the shack so that the wooden roof could fit on it easily (although its right side was sticking up slightly, due to the loss of a few nails that held it down, and few planks were now missing from the rear of its left side, leaving five rectangular gaps – one longer than the rest). On the left of the shack was a wooden bridge that led out to the smallest of the three islands. The bridge, despite being just a row of planks nailed together, was just as strong as the six beach trees that were standing tall on the circular island while the only Paopu tree on Destiny Islands was growing outwards on its side over the sea water with yellow, star-shaped Paopu fruits growing right under its gigantic green leaves. At the very end of the left side of the beach, standing on a raised level of ground with a wooden ramp leading up to it, was a much larger shack. Like the smaller one, it had no windows and only one door, although it also happened to have a porch way built above its only entrance. It had also been built with wood which was a much darker shade of brown.

There was hardly anything different about Destiny Islands. One of the small differences was Sora's return.

It had been two weeks since he and Riku had returned from their long hard adventures. Sora had been taking long rests after returning, but somehow, he always felt tired. As he had missed the sights of Destiny Islands so much, he would decide to go out and lie under the sun, which he preferred to lying in bed. The fifteen-year old boy with spiky brown hair was now enjoying a chance to lie on the soft sand and feel the heat of the sun beating down onto his face. He was wearing his short, black jacket with a yellow stripe next to each side of the zipper, his black jumpsuit that had red pockets with a matching red shape on the front, as well as yellow and white lining. Hanging from the silver chain necklace he was wearing was a pendant shaped like a crown, and on each of his hands, which were both lying still on the sand beside his sides, he was wearing black gloves with yellow lining around the wrists and small, blue circles that were above two white stripes that crossed each other. His large, black boots with yellow fronts were on his feet, both of them filled with sand. Sora's blue eyes were closed and a large smile was on his face. He was enjoying getting a chance to relax - despite the fact it was all he had done in the past fourteen days.

"Haven't you had enough of relaxing, you lazy bum?"

Sora opened his eyes while his smile widened. Sitting next to him was what he had missed more than relaxing. He was amazed by how much Kairi had changed while he had left. The fifteen-year old girl had grown much taller while her red hair was longer. She also now wore a pink mini-skirt - with a black pouch that had a purple ribbon attached to its black belt - over a white halter top with a black hood, three bracelets (one white, another yellow and the third blue) on her left wrist, a pair of purple shoes and a string necklace with a small but bright silver bead. Sora was sad he had not been around to see Kairi grow so beautiful, but he knew he had no choice. There were, however, two things about Kairi which had not changed: she was still beautiful and still the girl he was in love with.

Sora sat up and grinned at the girl. "You wanna try going through all the things I went through while you were here. You'd feel very tired."

"Hey, I helped in the end," giggled Kairi. "And I don't feel tired."

"That's because you _helped_," teased Sora. "_I _did most of the work, so _I'm_ the hero. And it's hard work being the hero."

"Hark work? For most heroes, saving everyone is just a game. If it's hard work for you, then you know what that means, right?"

"What?"

"You're not a very good hero," Kairi giggled loudly.

Sora smiled and laughed. He knew Kairi was only teasing him and he was thankful. After going through so much trouble to save so many friends and trying hard to keep his promise to return to her, Sora was glad to have a laugh.

As Sora lay back down on his back, Kairi followed his actions. She rolled onto her side to face the boy, a serious look on her face. "No, Sora. You really are a great hero - and you're my best friend. I really missed you while you were gone."

Sora smiled, rolled onto his side and placed his left hand onto Kairi's right cheek. "I missed you as well, Kairi. I never want to have to leave you ever again."

Kairi smiled and closed her eyes. "Can we do the things we always used to do before we were separated? While you were gone, I always tried to do them...but I couldn't without you." Kairi's smile faded. She opened her eyes and looked down. "I felt so lonely without you."

Sora looked at Kairi with surprise. "Lonely? You had Tidus, Wakka and Selphie."

"Yes, I know. And they always did their best to cheer me up when I was thinking of you and feeling sad. But they aren't like you, Sora. You're my best friend."

Sora smiled, but deep down inside, he felt a little sad, because he couldn't bring himself to tell Kairi how he felt. "You're my best friend, too, Kairi."

Seeing a little smile on Kairi's face return, Sora's own smile changed into a wide grin. Being able to make the girl he loved happy always made him feel better when he felt sad.

"Can we, Sora?"

"Well...I still feel tired, Kairi, and I need more relaxation today-"

"Sora!" Kairi's smile was replaced with a frown, which Sora did not like to see on her, especially when it was directed at him.

Sora began to panic. "But...it's not that I don't want to, Kairi. I just...somehow, I feel more tired than before today. I really wanna do the things with you we used to...but I don't have the energy today. I promise you we'll do them tomorrow."

Kairi's smile returned. She knew Sora meant what he said. He had made a promise. "Thank you, Sora."

Sora smiled back and stroked Kairi's cheek. Kairi smiled at him in silence, her blue eyes starting to droop. Within seconds, she drifted off to sleep, although the smile never left her face.

Continuing to stroke the girl's cheek, Sora smiled at how beautiful she was and the fact that after being separated for so long, the two of them were finally reunited. Sora tried to fight his weariness to focus on the sleeping girl, but sleepiness took over him and he soon fell fast asleep.

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**Well, I sure hope you've enjoyed this first chapter. :) I may be a bit slow updating, because I have my final school exams coming up. But I had to get this first chapter done by a certain date. I wil update as often as I can and I will try to make this story enjoyable from start to finish. So stay tuned. :)**


	2. Sunburn

**Here is chapter two - where problems begin...**

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"Sora!"

"Um…yeah?" Sora was woken from the sound of the voice that was bellowing through his ears. He was still feeling tired, so he did not even attempt to force himself to sit up or open his eyes.

"Are you alright, Sora? Look at you!"

"I'm fine, Kairi," Sora mumbled groggily, a smile appearing on his face as he remained lying on the sand with his eyes still shut tight.

"Kairi? Sora, you of all people should know this isn't Kairi's voice!"

Sora's smile faded and was replaced by a puzzled frown. As he finally managed to open his eyes, his vision was a blur and it lasted a few seconds before he could see clearly. He found himself lying on his side, as he had been doing when he had fallen asleep - expect that Kairi was no longer lying next to him. In his disappointment, Sora rolled onto his back. Above him was a bright orange sky, as the sun was starting to set beyond the sea. Sora sat up glumly. He guessed that Kairi had woken up, found him still asleep and gone home without saying anything to him. Sora felt very bad about falling asleep while Kairi had been on the beach with him. He was now more determined that ever to make the next day a happy day for her.

"Look at your skin, Sora!"

Sora remembered the other person who had woken him up. He recognised the voice and he knew it was not Kairi's. Sora sat up and looked over his shoulder to see a worried Riku standing behind him, looking down at him. He was dressed in his white jacket with faint yellow on the top and bottom ends, black zip-up tank top, baggy blue jeans with long, deep pockets and white trainers with grey tops and soles with yellow laces. He was gazing at Sora with a horrified expression. Reaching up, Riku brushed a strand of his long silver hair out of his eye before sitting down beside his friend, unable to take his blue eyes off him.

"What's wrong, Riku?" Sora couldn't understand why his friend was acting so concerned.

"What's wrong?" Riku repeated in a bellowing voice what Sora had just asked him. "Sora, look at yourself!"

Worried and puzzled, Sora turned away from Riku before slowly raising his right arm - and was horrified to see the lower half of it was bright red. He turned quickly to his left arm, shocked to see its lower half was also red. It was then that Sora suddenly felt his skin burn. Not just the skin on his arms, but also on his face and lower legs, which were also in sharp, stinging pain. Sora gritted his teeth as a sweat drop ran down the right side of his head. He hugged himself to ease the pain - but quickly let go, for touching his own burning skin hurt even more. He quickly looked over his shouler at Riku with an expression of horror and pain on his burning red face.

The silver-haired boy sat down on the sand next to his spiky-haired friend. He stared at him with wide, shocked eyes. "Have you been lying out in the sun for too long, Sora?"

"I...I didn't mean to."

"Well, it's all you've done since we got back." The tone in Riku's voice had changed. It was no longer yelling – but it was only now that anger was starting to form in it, aimed directly at the sunburnt boy in front of him.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep!" Sora protested loudly, looking at Riku in desperation. "I was merely relaxing under the sun. Then Kairi came along, we started talking and she lay next to me. Before I knew it, I fell asleep."

"Did you put suntan lotion on before coming out?"

"Suntan lotion?" Sora shot Riku a confused expression. He was very surprised by the silver-haired boy's question. "I've never needed that before. I've never been sunburnt before."

"You have now. It's obvious you needed it." The anger had gone out of the tone of Riku's voice, but he still could not stop worrying about his friend. It was like a nightmare for him to see Sora with such bad sunburns.

"But, Riku, no one on Destiny Islands ever puts suntan lotion on."

"They _do_. Everyone else always does. Doesn't your Mom ever tell you to put suntan lotion on your face, arms and legs before you come out to hang out with me and Kairi at the beach?"

Sore quickly turned away from Riku to look down at his large boots. He was feeling ashamed and embarrassed. "No."

"Perhaps she always thought you would _think_ to put it on before coming out. I always thought you would have."

Sora let out a glum sigh and rubbed his arms, but quickly pulled away upon hurting himself. He winced slightly at the stinging. "How I am I going to get better?"

"Your Mom knows a few medical skills, doesn't she?"

"Yeah."

"Then I think she would be able to treat the burns herself - if they aren't too serious."

Sora's head instantly rose to turn to face Riku at the sound of the last word he had said. His blue eyes were widening slightly, and the worry in his expression was visible amongst the confusion that was also there. "Serious?"

"If they are serious, you need to go see a doctor."

"A doctor?" Sora jumped to his feet and clenched his fist as he frowned down at Riku. "I can't go to see a doctor! I'm going to see Kairi tomorrow! I promised her we would do the things we used to do before we got separated!"

"You need to think about your own safety, Sora," Riku told him warningly, frowning back as he got to his feet.

"Safety? It's just a bunch of sunburns! They don't even hurt!" Sora rubbed his red face with his hands, then quickly pulled them away, groaning in pain quietly. He turned to look at Riku and grinned, trying to convince the sixteen-year old. "I'm sure Mom can make me feel better. I'll be feeling okay tomorrow. Then Kairi and I will do the things we always used to and get our lives back to normal."

Riku folded his arms. He was very worried about his friend, but held his frown. "Well, Sora, if you are so sure, you'd better get out of this sun before you get any worse. I'll call at your house tomorrow to see how you are."

"Thanks, Riku, but there's no need. I won't be there," Sora grinned excitedly. "I'll be out with Kairi all day, having fun and enjoying being back with her. I'm going to have a lovely day - and I am going to make sure Kairi does too. I can't wait."

Sora turned to his right to walk past the frowning Riku, who continued to watch him as he headed at a slightly quick pace away from him. The sand crunched slightly under the boots of the fifteen-year old boy as he made his way towards the pier. He was thinking to himself about how wonderful the next day was going to be by spending a lot of time with Kairi. The two of them would thoroughly enjoy themselves, and it would be as if Sora had never been away from her. The boy smiled widely to himself as he started to walk up the short, wooden staircase of the pier, which he had now reached. He had no intention of ever leaving Kairi again. He was certain that he was going to stay around on the islands, always making sure she was very happy.

Reaching the top of the staircase, Sora took a few steps across the short width of the pier. He stood at the left end, looking down to see two light brown, wooden rowing boats bobbing slightly on the surface of the water, both of them facing away from the pier, but also tied to one of the wooden legs that held up the pier. Inside each of the boats were pairs of wooden oars. Sora bent his knees, preparing himself to jump into his boat – the one on the left – but just before he was about to launch himself into the air and off the pier, his eyes fell onto the one on the right. Knowing that it was Riku's boat, Sora stood up straight to look over his shoulder towards where the silver-haired boy was standing on the beach. He could see that Riku was still on the spot where he had left him, and the only movement he had made was turning to look in Sora's direction. The expression on Riku's face was not visible from the pier, although Sora was sure he was shooting towards him the same frown that had been on his face when he had told him that he had to think about his safety. Sora shook his head with a soft sigh before turning away from the sand to look down at his boat again, bending his knees for a second time. He could not understand why Riku was worrying so much about him. All he had were a few sunburns, which he knew always happened to people. He was not going to waste the next day in a doctor's office for something he was sure was not serious. His day was going to be wonderful, as he would be spending it all with Kairi.

Sora's legs stretched out quickly as he launched himself off the pier by jumping forward. He had not put all his jumping effort into it, but still went quite high into the air before finally falling down, landing on his feet into the boat. As soon as his feet his wooden base with a loud thud, the boat rocked slightly in the water while Sora suddenly letting out a cry, grabbing his burning red right arm with his left hand. He hoped the sunburns would no longer hurt while he would be having fun with Kairi. She was likely to go into a huge worrying state if he ever cried out in pain. The first thing she was sure to ask him as soon as they would meet up and she would see his sunburnt face would be what happened to him. Sora did not want the girl to worry about him when they were supposed to be enjoying themselves. She had told him during the previous fortnight about how much worry about him had been on her mind while he and Riku had been away.

Sitting down inside his boat, Sora turned around to face the legs that were holding up the pier. As with Riku's boat, a thick rope had one end tied to one of the legs, its other end fastened to his own boat's stern. A few gentle waves in the sea were still washing their way towards the beach. Some of them rocked the two boats gently as they passed under them, lifting them up slightly with the surface as the tide rose with each wave. As Sora was just untying the boat from the pier, a much larger wave suddenly splashed violently against the side of his boat. Salty seawater rose into the air, landing on the wood of the boat – and some of it onto Sora's cheek.

The boy gave a huge cry of pain, dropping the rope before clutching his cheek with both of his hands. The pain was horrible and unbearable. He did not know anyone who had experienced sunburns, so he could not find out how long the pain lasted – or even if it was supposed to be as bad as it was for him.

Sora let go of his cheek to pick up the two oars by their handles, one in each hand. Turning around to sit down with his back to the pier, he held them outwards, letting the wooden blades sink into the water. He was ready to row back to the main island – hopefully to have the pain of the sunburns cured by his mother when he would arrive home.

As Sora started to row with the two oars, the boat began to make its way across the gentle water. The two oars made small splashes on each side as they were used by the boy to push the boat away from the pier. Sora took a glance towards the horizon, his blue eyes immediately meeting the sun. It was clearly visible from millions of miles ahead, sinking behind the ocean that reflected the bright orange colour that filled the evening sky. The heat of the sun did not seem to be as strong as when it was up in the middle of the day, but as Sora rowed the boat forwards, away from the pier, he cried out again as he felt his face burn. The rays of the sun, even during the last minutes of the day, were still making their way towards the earth and causing him to feel horrible stinging pain.

Once the boat had passed the small curve at the end of the island, Sora began rowing furiously with with his right burning arms again, turning the boat to go in the direction he needed to go. Often when he left the smaller island to return to the main one (which was usually at the end of a day of spending time there with Kairi and Riku), he would choose to row past the beach to catch one last look at it in the dying sunlight. Since doing that took him longer to reach home, he had chosen this time to row along the quick way, which was straight past the short hillside on the end of the island, its tall trees and greenery overlooking the sea. Sora could not bear to be in the sun for much longer, as he wanted to get home quick to stop the pain from torturing him. He also did not feel like looking out at the beach this time, as it would mean having to see Riku standing on the sand, watching him with his frown as he would row past.

The weakening rays of the sun had started to burn into the back of Sora's neck as he began to row past the side of the island, his back to the horizon. He was not taking in the trees and other plants on the top of the hillside which he was passing, as he was trying to think of the day that was coming up. The terrible pain he was going through made filling his head with thoughts of Kairi difficult, but as he rowed further away from the sun, the burning on the back of his neck finally faded way. Sora was now able to think of being with the girl he loved, which helped to distract him from the stinging on his face, the front of his neck and his arms. He would have to make sure that whatever they would do the next day, it would bring a smile to Kairi's face, make her enjoy herself and feel very happy.

Sora smiled softly to himself as he continued to think of Kairi while rowing his boat through the water along the green side of the small island, still ignoring the pain he was going through. He was very sure that his life was back to the way it used to be.

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**But I bet you are thinking different to what Sora thinks, right. ;)**

**I managed to update this sooner than expected. I will have to spend a lot of time studying, but whenever I get some free time, I will work on this.**


	3. A Mother's Care

**In this chapter, we are going to explore a background I have created for Sora and his family. And we will meet his mother for the first time. Well, a mother **_**I **_**created for him, that is.**

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The orange sky was changing into a dark blue colour as the moon began to rise from the horizon. The shining, clear, white light it was giving off allowed Sora to easily be able to see the enormous beach on the large, dark island he was heading through the sea towards. He was only a few metres away, and the waves that were travelling in the same direction as he was were able to easily carry the boat closer to the shore ahead. They were able to make it flow at a much quicker pace than the oars, which Sora was now lifting out of the water and putting down in front of him onto the wooden deck.

Adult residents of Destiny Islands would often simply walk down to the large beach of the main island while teenagers would prefer to run there just to push the boats they owned into the sea before rowing off to the smaller but more exciting island. For most of each day, the beach of the main island was several metres longer than the smaller one from the shore to the white, wooden, crooked fence at the back. This would only last, however, until the sun would go down and the tide would come in, leaving only a few metres of sand towards the back. The beach was also hundreds of metres wide, allowing its visitors to take long walks along the bright yellow sand during the day and for most of the early evening. A wooden pier - much taller and longer than the one on the smaller island – stood on the right side of the beach. Visitors would often stand on the end of it to look out at the sea and the smaller island (which they mostly did when the sun would start to sink), but the teenagers had all chosen not to keep their boats there when they were not using them. They had all agreed to keep them at the back of the beach where the tide could never make its way up to, meaning they had no need to tie them down. The boats were also kept right in front of the wooden fence, which had a wide gap in the middle that led to a sandy path. Whether walkers were following the path to or from the beach, they would have to go through the grassy ground of one of the main island's many housing estates.

The bottom of Sora's boat slid through the soggy, wet sand as one more wave finally managed to push it onto a part of the beach where the tide had just managed to reach. The water that surrounded the boat was very shallow, but Sora found that he would still have to take a few steps through it before he could stand on dry ground. The bottom of the boat had now stuck in the sand below the water, and the waves were no longer able to push it any further. Sora grabbed hold of each of the boat's wooden sides and pulled himself to his feet with a bit of a struggle, due to how long he had been sitting down. He lifted his feet up and placed them onto the sand under the water, which he found was just up to above the soles of his shoes. Placing his hands onto the side of his boat, Sora took hold of it, lifting it up easily so that the bottom of the dripping wet base was now off the soggy sand and out of the water. He walked slowly towards the small area of dry sand at the back of the beach, where four other wooden boats were sitting in a row. Carrying his own boat above the shallow water was no heavy challenge for Sora, as he had done it many times before and it was not nearly as heavy as it looked.

Sora's wet boots squelched onto the dry sand as he stepped onto where the waves could just stretch towards onto the beach before sinking back into the sea. He placed his boat down onto the sand, keeping hold of it to drag it alongside him towards the row of other boats. Once he had pulled it to the empty space on the right side of the boat at the nearest end of the row, he stood up straight, looking down at all of the other boats. Each one of them was owned by one of his friends, and he knew there was another one that was not in the row, but was most likely still tied to the pier on the smaller island. All of the boats looked very similar to each other, for they had all been built with light brown wood. The boat sitting at the opposite end of the row was much narrower than the others, however, and this made it stand out for Sora (who often had trouble being able to tell which of the other boats was his) as he could tell that it was Kairi's boat. He gazed towards it with disappointment visible in his expression. The girl he loved had obviously taken her boat out of the row earlier, and rowed it across the sea to find him on the smaller island. When she had woken up after falling asleep next to him to find that he had done the same thing, she must have decided to return straight to her boat and row back to the main island. Sora hoped that their plan to spend the upcoming day together would make her forget about what he had done and think only of the huge amount of fun they were to have.

The boy's blue eyes were taken off the narrowest of the boats as he let off another cry of pain. His pressed both his hands to his face, which was starting to burn up horribly again. Unable to understand why, Sora turned towards the sea. He pulled his hands away slowly, frowning in confusing up at the moon that was high up in the night sky. _I thought this stinging would stop now that the sun has gone down, _he managed to think to himself while still feeling the burning on his face. _I hope Mom will be able to help me feel better. I don't wanna have this pain whilst me and Kairi are supposed to be enjoying ourselves._

Turning away from the pitch black sea and the bright white moon, Sora walked towards the gap in the fence that was in front of him. Looking down at his feet as he walked along the sand, he scrunched up his red face tightly. The terrible stinging was just as strong as it had been when he had been on the smaller island and realized he had been sunburnt. Sora tried to ignore the pain as he saw that he feet were now stepping onto the sand that had been used to build that path that would led him away from the beach. He kept looking downwards towards his feet, knowing that he did not really need to look ahead of him. Following the path was one step of finding his way from the beach of the main island.

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Sora turned a corner on the sidewalk he had made his way onto, beginning to walk down the left side of a short street. It had two rows of detached houses that had all been built with many strong orange bricks. In between the two rows, a wide road had been built, allowing cars to drive from one end of the street to the other, joining up with the other roads that went around the estate. Several cars had been parked along the sidewalk, although others were being kept on the driveways that were on the sides of each of the houses - apart from one house, which did not have a car outside it at all. The residents of the street also had small, rectangular front lawns, with short pathways that led them from their front door to the gateways in their garden fences.

Streetlamps stood on each of the sidewalks, clearing away with the darkness of the street with the golden light they were giving off. As Sora was about to pass the second streetlamp on the sidewalk he was walking along, he stopped and turned to smile cheerfully towards the house he was standing in front of. It was the one which did not have a car parked either in front of it or on the driveway - which happened to be the home of Kairi. The girl and her adoptive father lived four doors away from him, and almost every day of being on Destiny Islands, Sora would leave his house to knock the front door of Kairi's. The days of being on the islands when he would not go to Kairi's house would be when he would be sitting at home, expecting her to knock _his _front door.

A pair of blue curtains were drawn across the front downstairs window of Kairi's house, and the two upstairs windows that Sora could see were covered up, too. No lights could be seen switched on, but since it had not been long since the sun had gone down, Sora did not think Kairi had gone to bed yet. He turned away from the girl's house, still smiling to himself as he walked along the sidewalk again. _I bet Kairi's still awake, thinking about the wonderful day the two of us are gonna have tomorrow, _he thought joyfully. _I'm gonna have to tell Mom when I get in. I'm sure she'll let me go._

Sora had strode past three other houses since stopping in front of Kairi's before turning to his left to walk through the gateway of the forth house. He saw, as he walked along the garden path, that a pair of lime, fabric curtains had been drawn across the large downstairs window. The light of the room they were hiding was turned on, so they were lit up very brightly. Stepping onto the doorstep, Sora felt a small, gentle breeze blow in his direction. It managed to cool him down a bit, but still stung his skin. He winced in pain slightly as he pulled down the handle of his front door before disappearing into of his house.

Standing in front of the door, which he pushed shut behind him, Sora slipped off his large boots and walked into the living room, which had a velvet purple couch, a wooden floor and a television on a small pine table. All of the walls were painted dark blue. On the rear wall, next to the staircase, was a doorway that led to the kitchen.

Sora walked slowly through the living room and sat down on the couch. The velvet felt very nice and soft on his damaged skin, but did not make him feel any better. Although he only wanted to have Kairi on his mind, Sora was finding it hard to ignore the pain, which seemed to be getting worse. His temperature had raised and he was starting to worry.

The boy heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Within seconds, his mother appeared. As soon as she saw Sora, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in horror. "Sora! What happened to you?"

Sora's mother - whose name was Nikkou - was a very young woman in her early thirties. She had pale skin, long brown hair and green eyes, and was dressed in a green, long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, as well as a pair of black, flat shoes. Nikkou was a widowed woman, having lost her husband, who had died of a sudden illness, four days after their son was born. Nikkou was very loving and protective towards Sora. When he had left the islands, she had no idea what he was getting himself into and had organized a search party, along with the other children's parents, trying hard to find him and the others, but to no avail. Now that he had returned, Nikkou was determined to keep both eyes on her son.

At that very moment, both of Nikkou's green eyes were looking at her son in shock.

Sora grinned up at his mother. "Hi, Mom. It's a just a sunburn, that's all."

"Just a sunburn?" Nikkou approached Sora and took hold of his right hand. With her free hand, she ran her fingers along his arm.

"Ow!" Sora instantly pulled away. "Careful, Mom!"

"Did you put suntan lotion on?"

"I..." Sora looked down at his feet. "No I didn't."

"Sora! You should know to put suntan lotion on when going out in the sun!"

"But I-"

"You need to be treated right away! Stay there!" Nikkou pointed warningly at Sora before disappearing into the kitchen. Sora sighed and slumped on the couch. His mother's over-protective nature often annoyed him.

Sora heard the kitchen tap being turned on, followed by the sound of water running from a tap. When the sound stopped, Nikkou returned to the living room, carrying a glass of cold water in one hand and a head thermometer in the other. She sat down next to Sora and handed him the glass of water. "I'm going to have to take your temperature, Sora."

Nodding, Sora let his mother press the thermometer against his forehead, gritting his teeth in pain. Nikkou held the thermometer against her son's head for a few seconds, then pulled it away to look at it. Her eyes widened in shock. "You're one hundred and sixteen degrees, Sora!"

Sora frowned. "The Sun wasn't that hot."

"Didn't you feel the heat?"

Sora pressed a finger to his chin in thought - then quickly pulled away, for his own touch caused him to sting more. "I...I fell asleep under the Sun."

"You fell asleep under the Sun?" Nikkou glared at her son in anger. "That is a dangerous thing to do if you had no suntan lotion on, Sora!"

"Well...you _never _told me to put it on! Not once!"

Nikkou's glare faded and she looked sadly down at her feet. Sora clasped a hand to his mouth, ignoring the pain. He felt very bad about yelling at his own mother. He knew that the damage to his skin was his own fault. Sora looked down at his feet, feeling ashamed.

Getting to her feet, Nikkou walked miserably towards the kitchen. Sora watched her walk away, then glumly gulped down some of the water from the glass he was holding. It was icy cold and Sora thought it was nice to have a cold drink, due to his heat. The water managed to cool him down a bit, but it did nothing to stop the stinging.

Nikkou returned to the living room, carrying a bag of ice. She sat down next to her son again and held the bag to his forehead.

"Argh!" Sora let out a cry of discomfort and pulled away. He rubbed his forehead whilst looking at his mother. "Don't do that, Mom."

"I'm sorry, Sora, but I have to try to cool you down."

"But, Mom - Argh!" Sora cried out again as Nikkou pressed the bag against his forehead again. He quickly pulled away again. Despite feeling so hot, he did not like the coldness of the bag against his forehead. "The water is fine, Mom."

"Okay. Stick to the water then." Nikkou stood up and walked into the kitchen to place the bag back in the refrigerator and to make herself a cup of tea. Sora remained on the couch, enjoying his glass of cold water.

* * *

Later, Sora walked slowly up the stairs to bed. He wanted to think about the fun he was going to have with Kairi the next day, but now, the stinging was getting worse, making it impossible for him to ignore it.

Sora walked into his bedroom - and was surprised to find Nikkou there, pulling off the blue bed sheets. She had opened the window on the left wall wide wide and had placed an electric fan on the wooden bedside table. It buzzed as its blades rotated quickly, offering a cool breeze.

Nikkou looked up at Sora with concern. You can't sleep with the bedsheets, Sora. They will hurt you badly. And we need to keep you cool during the night. You can sleep in just your trowsers, tonight."

With a sigh, Sora reached down and pulled off his black socks, then quickly removed his black jacket. As he was pulling his shirt over his head, Nikkou let out a scream, startling Sora. "What is it, Mom?"

"Your right arm!" Nikkou replied loudly and worriedly, pointing at Sora with a trembling finger.

Dropping his shirt onto the floor, Sora looked it his right arm. To his horror, he saw that on the upper part of his arm (which had been covered by the short sleeve of the shirt) was what looked like a red lump. Sora looked at it with terror. His raised his left arm and touched the lump with his index finger, then quickly pulled away, as it hurt more than the burns. Sora could not take his blue eyes off the lump. "What's that, Mom?"

"Sora! You..." Nikkou seemed unable to speak and unable to believe what she was seeing. "You're going to see a doctor! First thing tomorrow!"

"What?" Sora looked up from the lump to his mother. "I can't go tomorrow! I promised Kairi I'd be seeing her!"

"_YOU'RE GOING TO A DOCTOR'S, SORA!_" Nikkou screamed angrily, glaring at her son in fury. Sora was frightened. He had never seen his mother so angry before, although he thought he could hear more fear than anger in her voice. _"DO YOU HEAR ME_?"

"Yes, Mom."

"_NOW GO TO BED!_" Nikkou ran past her son and out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Sora pressed his ear to the door and could hear frightened pants among the sound of Nikkou's footsteps racing down the stairs.

Sora walked slowly over to the bed and lay down on it, resting his head on the pillow. He felt the cool breeze that was coming from the buzzing fan.

It was a long time before Sora finally fell asleep, for he had spent a lot of the night lying on his bed, worrying. Worrying about the lump, worrying what illness he had - and worrying he would not be back from the doctor's in time to keep his promise to Kairi.

* * *

**I sure hope I was okay at creating a mother for Sora. I'd like to hear what you think of her, so please review and say what you think. If the mother character wasn't good, I hope she doesn't put you off the story. The mother will have few notable appearances, but this isn't a mother and son story. It's a romance story. We will soon get lots of moments between Sora and Kairi in this story, as that is what this story is about. ;)**


	4. Anger & Sadness

**Hey, guys. :)**

**First of all, I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed and/or added this story to their favourites. It really means a lot and it has given me more encouragement to keep writing this. I'm glad a lot of you like this story and I hope you will continue to enjoy it as it develops. :)**

**Secondly, I would like to remind you that updates may be slow, due to my final exams. I posted the first three chapters three days in a row. But I will not be able to update every day, as I need to spend lots of time studying. But I will update at the best possible times and once my exams are over, I will be able to update much more often and get this finished in due time.**

**Well, that's all I have to say for now. So enjoy this newest chapter. :)**

* * *

The next morning, Sora was sitting at the wooden table in the kitchen, dressed in his usual clothes, looking glumly down at the two pieces of buttered toast that his worried mother had made him for breakfast. Nikkou was panting and pacing around the room, trying to encourage Sora to eat up.

"Mom?" Sora looked up from his plate. "What exactly was that lump on my arm?

"Eat up, Sora!" Nikkou replied loudly between pants of panic.

"Will I be allowed to visit Kairi today?" Sora asked more quietly.

"_EAT UP!!!_" Nikkou bellowed in her son's face, making him jerk backwards in fright. Clasping a hand to her mouth, Nikkou ran off into the living room and up the stairs.

With a sad sigh, Sora picked up one of the pieces of toast and began to chew on it. _It's just a sunburn, _he thought to himself. _It shouldn't be anything serious. People get sunburn all the time. I bet there are plenty of people on Destiny Islands who get sunburn, just because they did not put on any suntan lotion. The doctor will just give us advise and we'll be out of the hospital, leaving me free to have fun with Kairi._

Sora swallowed, but before taking another bite out of the toast, he hesitated, put the piece down on the plate, then rolled up his right sleeve to look at the lump on his upper arm. His stomach clinched at it's ugliness, which made him unroll his sleeve to cover it up. Sora rested his right elbow on the table to hold his head up.

_I sure hope I'm out of the hospital before Kairi expects me, _he thought miserably. A picture of the girl he loved hung in his head. She was waiting excitedly for Sora to come again, unaware that he was not going to and he was going to let her down again. _I made a promise I'd be there. I can't break a promise to Kairi._

_

* * *

_Shortly afterwards, Sora and Nikkou walked out of the house to leave for the hospital. Nikkou locked the door while Sora stood beside a small dark green car that was parked on the driveway.

"Hey, Sora."

Sora jumped at the sound of a voice which came from behind him, but relaxed when he realized it was not Kairi's. He looked over his shoulder to see Riku smiling at him. "Still red?"

"Yeah, Mom insists on taking me to hospital. But it's only a sunburn. It happens to people all the time. I bet you I'm not the first person on Destiny Islands to not put suntan lotion on, Riku."

Ruki's smile faded. "But, Sora, you could get-"

"And you know what's weird?" went on Sora. "Last night, when I was getting undressed, Mom and me found a l-"

All of a sudden, Nikkou, who had come up behind Sora, grabbed her son by the sleeve, open the door to the front passenger side of the car and threw him inside. Sora sat up straight and looked at his mother in shock as he closed the door and fastened her feet belt. Riku watched in silence as Nikkou walked around to the driver's side of the car, opened the door and, after sitting in the driver's seat, closed it again. She pressed her foot on the clutch pedal, started the car, pressed her foot on the gas pedal, brought the clutch up and released the handbrake. The car started to move off the driveway. Nikkou steered it to the right and started to drive down the road.

Riku watched the car disappear down the road, a panic-stricken look on his face. He was sure that Sora was about to tell him that he had found a lump.

* * *

"Did you tell Riku that you had found a lump?!" Nikkou snapped at Sora, her eyes not leaving the road.

"No I didn't," Sora replied quietly. "But why did you act like that, Mom?"

"Don't talk to me when I'm driving, Sora!"

"But, Mom-"

"_YOU HEARD ME, SORA_!!!" Nikkou angrily hit the indicator with a fist as they approached a roundabout. As she drove around it, Sora rested his head against the window. He could not understand why his mother was acting so angrily. She had always been overprotective with him, but never got angrily with him when showing concern for his safety.

He could not wait for his trip to the hospital to be over so that he could join Kairi and feel better at the sight of her beautiful smiling face.

* * *

**Okay, this chapter was a little shorter than the others. I think the next one might be short as well, but I'm trying to expand this story as much as possible. I'll try to make the next chapter as long as possible and then the next ones will probably be as long as the first three.**


	5. Checking In

**Hi, guys. Again, I'm so sorry that the updates are taking so long. :( I would have probably got this done sooner, but I had to get a lot of coursework finished. I've managed to do that, now I just have to study and update whenever I can.**

* * *

As the car drove into the hospital car park a few minutes later, Sora looked out at the hospital.

It was a very old building, built with grey brickwork that was slowly crumbling. Some scaffolding was on the left side, which workmen were walking along. They were trying hard to mend the wall before it would collapse. There were thousands of windows scattered along the front of the building and Sora guessed there were about twelve levels. To the right was a wide garage, its door open to reveal three white ambulances parked inside. One of them suddenly made a wailing noise as its siren was turned on. The blue lights on top of its roof flashed as the driver quickly drove it out of the garage and away from the hospital.

Nikkou reversed the car into an empty parking space before bringing it to a stop. She pulled the handbrake up and switched off the engine. "C'mon, Sora! Let's go and check you in!"

"Yes, Mom," Sora sighed glumly, taking off his seat belt. "We'll go in, then the doctor will tell you that all I have is a sunburn. We can then get outta here and I can go out with Kairi."

Nikkou ignored her son's response as she took off her seat belt and stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She quickly walked to the passenger side as Sora opened his door. He was just moving his left leg out of the car to step out, when Nikkou suddenly grabbed his left hand and pulled him forcefully out of the car. She gave the door a hard kick, slamming it shut.

Gripping her stunned and surprised son's left hand tightly in her right one, Nikkou pulled him towards the building, an angry expression on her face. "C'mon, Sora! Don't waste time! You've got to see the doctor!"

_Yeah, _Sora thought sadly as he was pulled along the car park. _The sooner I get checked out and am told it's nothing to worry about, the sooner I can go out with Kairi. I just hope the doctor checks me out as quickly as you're hurrying me to see him, Mom. If he takes ages, Kairi will probably hate me for letting her down._

Sora was too worried about losing his friendship with Kairi to take any notice of the double doors that Nikkou pulled him through. He did not notice the white paint on the walls with many cracks. When Nikkou stopped pulling him along, Sora did look up to notice a young receptionist standing behind a desk. She had long flowing blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes. She was pressed in a pink blouse beneath a white coat. Her lips were bright pink from the lipstick she wore. She smiled at Sora and Nikkou to be friendly, but the shock from seeing Sora's sunburnt skin was visible in her widened eyes. "How may I help you?"

"I want to have my son, Sora, to see a doctor!" Nikkou pointed at Sora. The loud tone of anger in her voice had not changed. "Wouldn't you agree that he needs to see one?"

"Yes, Madam." The receptionist was a little startled by the anger in Nikkou's voice. She pulled a pen out of one of the pockets in her white jacket and wrote Sora's name on a list of patients, which happened to lying in front of her on the desk. "Please take a seat."

Forgetting to thank the concerned receptionist, Nikkou pulled her son through a nearby door. They found themselves in a large waiting room, crowded with patients that all looked like they were in pain. Some of them were sitting in wheelchairs instead of the waiting room chairs and others had their arms and legs in bandages. The walls of the room were painted white, just like in the receptionist's room. They also had a lot of cracks running from top to bottom.

Nikkou stomped her feet as she pulled Sora across the marble floor, the clacking sound her heels were making filling up the entire waiting room. She found two empty chairs at the end of one row and, after letting go of Sora's hand, and sat down angrily in one of them. "Sit down, Sora!"

Slowly, Sora sunk into the other chair and looked fearfully at his mother. She turned away from him with her arms crossed. Sora could not see that she was now looking afraid instead of angry.

A small wooden table with magazines resting on it was in front of them. Sora reached out and picked up one of the magazines, not noticing what particular one it was. He opened it up to the middle pages, but did not start to read, for his mind was elsewhere. He could not understand why his mother was so angry with him. He was sure Kairi would also be angry with him if he was not back in time.

* * *

Skipping happily out of the front door to her house, Kairi closed it behind her. She had spent so long in front of the mirror, wanting to look nice and trying to decide what to wear. She had eventually decided to wear her usual dress and do nothing to change how her hair looked, although she spent even longer brushing it and making sure her dress was spotless. Whenever she and Sora were to meet each other, Kairi always spent a long time making sure she looked presentable in front of the boy she loved. Although it often took her hours, she was always the first to arrive. Sora would always arrive much later, looking tired and sleepy, but ready to have fun.

After locking up the door with a key she had pulled out of the pouch on her belt, Kairi turned around the spot and walked down her short garden path, returning the key where she had got it from. She turned left as she passed through the gateway, heading down the sidewalk to make her way to Sora's house. A happy smile was on her face as she thought of everything she was going to do with the boy she loved. She was going to ask him if they could travel to the smaller island. They could start their day by spending a few hours on the beach, then explore the forest for a while, but return to the beach in time to watch the sunset. Kairi was sure that she was in for a perfect day with a perfect boy.

The girl came to the gateway at Sora's house, turning to walk quickly through it and approach the front door. She stood on the doorstep and brushed down her dress, making sure there was no dirt on it, which there was not, as she had made sure so many times that morning. Taking a deep breath, certain that this was the moment where her special day with Sora would begin, Kairi excitedly knocked on the door and waited with an excited grin on her face.

There was no answer.

Kairi's smile faded a little bit as she stared at the door in slight surprise. Thinking that nobody had heard her and there was nothing for her to worry about, she knocked the door again.

Still, nobody answer.

Puzzled, Kairi stepped back off the doorstep, frowning in confusion. Not understanding why nobody was answering the door, she looked up, noticing that Sora's bedroom window was open a little. The grin returned to Kairi's face and she shook her head in disbelief before raising her hands to the sides of her mouth. "Sora!" she called loudly at the top of her voice towards the window. "Are you still in bed, you lazy bum?"

There was no reply from the bedroom.

Her smile fading again, Kairi glared in annoyance (although she was beginning to feel wooried) and listened hard. No sounds could be heard from the bedroom, which meant nobody was in there. She quickly turned her head away from her house, wondering why Sora was not answering the door to her – and then realized that Nikkou's car was not parked on the driveway. It suddenly became clear to her that nobody at all was inside the house.

Kairi immediately looked back up towards Sora's bedroom window, a shocked and disappointed expression on her face. "Why has Sora gone out? He told me that the two of us would be going out! He could have asked his Mom to let him stay behind while she went out!"

As soon as she finished expressing her panicked thoughts aloud to herself, an extra thought struck into Kairi's mind. It was something that caused her to smile again as she turned away from the house to walk eagerly down the path. "He must have done! Only Nikkou has gone out - but Sora is obviously waiting for me! Perhaps he's down at the smaller island, since we often meet there! I'd better go there now! I can't wait to see him!"

With a happy grin, Kairi skipped through the pathway and to her right to go back down the sidewalk. She would be making her way to the very end of the street, as she needed to go to the beach on the main island, where her boat was kept with her friends'. She would use it to row across the sea to the smaller island, where she believed Sora was waiting for her, ready to start the wonderful day Kairi thought they were going to have together.

She was completely oblivious to the fact that she was in for disappointment again.

* * *

**I would have continued writing here, but the length of this was longer than I expected, so I think that's enough for this chapter. The next one may be short, but I'll try to stretch it out. I really want this story to have a good length - and to be very enjoyable for you as well. :)**


	6. Diagnosis

**I thought this chapter would be very short - but it turned out to be one of my much longer ones. I hope the length won't put you off.**

* * *

"Sora!"

Upon hearing one of the doctors call his name, Sora looked up worriedly at his mother. Nikkou slowly turned her head to face him. She was trying to glare at him and look angry, but Sora could see signs of fear in her eyes, which made him feel afraid and even more confused.

Trying hard not to show her son that she was afraid, Nikkou stood up, took her son firmly by his right hand - making him drop the magazine he was still holding onto the floor - and pulled him to his feet. She dragged him away from the chairs and towards the back of the waiting room.

The doctor who had called Sora's name was standing in front of a doorway that led down a long corridor. He had short brown hair and brown eyes that were looking at Nikkou and Sora through round glasses. He was dressed in a white uniform and was holding a clipboard. On his coat was a name tag. He smiled when the mother and son approached him, despite the fact that the mother was glaring and the son's skin was red. "Follow me, please."

The doctor led Nikkou and Sora through the doorway behind him and down the long corridor. He listened to Sora's protests as he led him and his mother down the corridor. The only sound which came from Nikkou were her black high-heeled shoes that made clacking sounds against the marble floor.

The doctor stopped outside a brown door. He pushed it open and held it for Nikkou to drag Sora inside. The doctor followed them inside and closed the door behind him. Sora looked around to find himself in a small room with walls painted a dirty brown. On the left side of the room was a table. Two plastic chairs stood in front of it with a third standing behind. Standing beside the back wall was a bed.

Sora and Nikkou stood on the spot as the doctor walked ahead of them to the table. He took the chair that was standing behind it for himself, nodding towards the other two chairs that were opposite him. "Do sit down."

Instantly after the doctor had finished speaking, Nikkou dragged Sora along the brown carpet towards the chairs. She sat down in one and pulled Sora down with a hard tug to make him sit in the other.

The doctor smiled at the puzzled and worried boy. "Hello, Sora. I'm Doctor Mizu." He turned to Nikkou. "You must be Sora's mother."

"Call me Nikkou," the young mother replied without looking at Mizu. She was still looking furiously at her son with fear still in her eyes. Sora was trying hard not to look back at her.

"And what's the problem?" Mizu was certain he already knew. The boy's red skin gave him an idea. He just hoped the problem was only sunburn.

"Sora had been sleeping under the sun yesterday, Doctor," Nikkou snapped angrily without taking her eyes off her son, "and he came home yesterday red all over."

"Yeah, from sunburn," put in Sora desperately. "That's all it is, Doctor. A sunburn. Nothing to worry-"

"And I found a lump on his skin as well!" Nikkou interrupted Sora, pointing at him. The panic she was secretly going through had now appeared clearly inside her voice.

"A lump?" Mizu's brown eyes widened.

Sora turned to his mother and was alarmed by her expression. She was no longer looking angry, but looked very frightened. Sora could tell that, as always, she was worried for his sake.

"Sora, please take off your jacket and shirt, then go and lie on the bed," ordered Mizu.

"Why?"

"I need to examine your body."

* * *

Kairi stopped rowing the oars she was holding – one in each hand – and lifted them up slightly. The soaking wet blades were hanging above the water, tiny drips falling off the end. The girl had been rowing her boat as quickly as she could across the sea to the smaller island, which had come into sight on the port side. Her boat was flowing at a slightly quick pace through the water by itself while Kairi was grinning happily towards the green trees that stood on the hillside on the edge of the island. She was sure that Sora was on the island, and that she would see him standing on the beach, waiting for her. Kairi was feeling just as excited as she had been when she had woken up that morning – and her high level of excitement had caused her to fail to realize that Sora's boat was actually still on the main island when she had went to get her own. Even though Sora's boat was completely identical to the others', Kairi had not noticed that all of the boats that were kept at the end of the main island's beach were there when she had arrived.

As her boat continued to flow alongside the smaller island, Kairi saw that they were just about to pass the very end of it and the pier was coming into sight. She started to madly thrash the blade of the oar in her right hand through the water again, causing huge splashes next to the boat as it rotated to slowly to the left. Some of the water that was flying up, due to the splashes Kairi was making – fell into the boat, soaking the wood of the inside of the base a little bit. Once the front of the boat was facing towards the pier, the girl quickly lowered the oar in her left hand so that its blade was back in the water. She start to row as fast as she could towards the pier, no longer creating huge splashes and going at a quick and smooth pace through the water.

What her excitement was making her not realize was that the pier which she was rowing and grinning widely towards did not have any other boats tied to it. The shore of the beach was also in view, but she did not so much as take a glance towards it. If she had done so, she would have realized that there was no one standing there.

Kairi rowed the boat so fast towards the pier, she did not make any effort to stop as soon as she came right up close to it. The bow of her boat hit one of the pier's wooden legs with a bang, causing it to float backwards slightly and Kairi to jump with surprise and almost drop the oars into the water. She quickly recovered from the small shock she had and gave one more row gently back up to the leg she had hit. Lifting the oars up so that their blades out out of the water, she placed them down onto the base of her boat – still not realizing it was the only one there.

After tying the boat to the wooden leg she had hit with some rope that had its one end knotted around it and its other end dangling in the cold water, Kairi looked to her left towards the wooden ladder that had been built onto the side of the pier where she and the rest of her friends' on the islands always tied their boats to. As she had tied her boat right next to it, She was able to take hold of the sides with her hands and place both of her feet onto the bottom wooden rung. With the grin on her face growing even wider, as she thought she would be able to spot Sora from the pier, Kairi quickly climbed the ladder. It took her barely three seconds to reach the top. She pulled herself up onto the flat wooden pier, her wide eyes shooting down towards the beach.

Her excited grin disappeared immediately at the sight of what she saw – or rather, what she could not see which she had been hoping to. Disappointment filled her expression, though her eyes remained just as wide. "_Sora's not here, either!_"

The beach appeared to be the same as always. The trees that stood behind it were still standing tall and tilting back and forth slightly by the help of the wind, the wooden paths, bridges and buildings were still standing in very good condition and were nowhere near collapsing while the many metres of sand were as bright and yellow as they always were, mostly due to the light from the sun. All that was missing from the beach was the only thing Kairi had wanted to see and had been sure would be there: a certain spiky-haired boy who she loved so much, waiting there just for her and ready to start having a very enjoyable fun-filled day with her.

"Why isn't Sora here?" Kairi cried out in all of her frustration, walking along the pier towards the small wooden staircase at her right of the rear end. She was still gazing down with disappointment towards the wide empty space on the sand, finding it very hard to believe that Sora was not there. "Where has he gone to? This is where we usually meet, so he should know to come here. I thought he would have made coming to meet up with me so we can enjoy our day his main thing to do."

She reached the small staircase, which she hesitantly walked down before stepping onto the sand, looking disbelievingly all around herself. Nobody was in sight, which meant she was the only one on the island. It was hardly ever crowded, leaving her, Sora and Riku to have it all to themselves. Being all alone on the island, however, was not the same as having your best friends with you. Kairi had been going through that while the boys had been away for so long. She had thought those sad days had gone away and that, just like in the old days, she would have found Sora waiting there for her and that he would have been very happy to see her.

Beginning to feel as upset as she had been excited, Kairi took a few steps towards the shore. The waves were slowly washing onto the sand and sinking back into the sea, which was sparkling bright blue as the sun shone in the sky. Kairi stopped and looked out glumly towards the sea. She decided that the only option was to wait until Sora arrived. She was feeling less excited now and was rather saddened. Waiting for Sora on the beach reminded her of the entire year she had spent waiting for him while he had been away. She thought she would never have to go through that again, as he was now back home. Although she knew he was still on the islands, she felt as if he was thousands of miles away again. Deep inside her heart, however, she was sure he would come for her. He had promised, just like he promised to return to her when he left.

"Kairi!"

Kairi heard a voice calling her, but knew it was not Sora's. Trying to look cheerful, she looked over her shoulder towards the pier to see Selphie Tilmitt racing down the wooden steps – having just arrived at the smaller island by her boat – before sprinting across the sand towards her. The fourteen-year old girl's brown hair blew in the wind as she ran in the direction of where her friend stoof. She was wearing her bright yellow dress which she wore a lot the previous year, having not grown out of it yet. Her brown sandals made no sound as she ran along the beach.

Stopping right next to Kairi, Selphie took a few breaths before looking up at her with curious green eyes and a small smile on her face. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?"

Kairi turned away from to look out at the sea again, the fake cheerfulness disappearing from her face. "I'm waiting for Sora, Selphie."

"Sora?" Selphie giggled with puzzlement. "He's back on the island, Kairi. You know that."

Kairi remained silent, continuing to look out at the sea. She was too lost in her thoughts to hear what Selphie had said.

Noticing that her friend was looking rather disappointed, Selphie stopped giggling and looked up at Kairi in worry. She wondered what was causing her friend to feel unhappy, although she knew that it would be something to do with Sora. It often was whenever Kairi was feeling upset. "He hasn't left again, has he?"

Now hearing Selphie clearly, Kairi snapped out of her thoughts and turned to her young friend, trying hard to smile in an effort to reassure them both. "No, no. He hasn't left, Sephie. I'm meeting up with him. We're going to do the things we used to do before he left. He just hasn't turned up yet, that's all. But I know he will, because he promised me we would do all those things."

A wide grin spread across Selphie's face. "He'll turn up, Kairi. He promised you. Sora always keeps his promises."

Kairi turned to look at the sea again, a small, soft, reassured smile on her face. "I know."

Selphie took a few steps backwards, still grinning widely up at Kairi. "I'm going back to the main island. I'm gonna meet up with Tidus and Wakka. I sure hope you and Sora have a wonderful time. Have fun!"

Looking over her shoulder, Kairi smiled and waved to Selphie, watching her walk towards the pier to return to her boat. The red-haired girl gazed silently back out at the sea, feeling much better and assured. She knew she would not have to wait as long as she had needed to when Sora had been away from the islands. He was now back home and the two of them were going to do so many fun things that they had always enjoyed. They would start as soon as Sora would arrive at the smaller island.

Kairi was sure the boy was not going to let her down.

* * *

"When did you discover the lump, Nikkou?"

"Last night, Doctor."

Mizu scribbled on the sheet of paper on his clipboard for the tenth time since he had started to exam Sora. Nikkou had remained in her chair, watching the examination with worry. Sora was lying on the bed at the bed of the room, having taken off his black jacket, shirt and chain, which were lying on the chair he had sat in. Mizu had been feeling Sora's damaged skin and examining the lump. Sora noticed the frightened expression on his mother's face. He turned away and looked nervously at the ugly lump on his right arm. Mizu had been asking lots of questions about the lump, but whenever Sora had asked him what it meant, he simply ignored him.

"Okay, Sora," said Mizu calmly. "Put your jacket and shirt back on please, then stand outside the room."

Sora sat up, looking at Mizu with a slight frown. "Why?"

"Just do it, Sora," Nikkou told him in a quiet tone. She had stopped shouting and was sounding more gentle, but the worry was still clear in her voice.

With a concerned expression growing onto his face, Sora got off the bed and walked over to the chair his clothes were lying on. He quickly put his shirt, jacket and chain on, then looked nervously at Nikkou. When she only looked back at him in silence, Sora slowly walked out through the door, closing it behind him.

Sora pressed his ear to the door. He knew Mizu wanted to tell his mother something he did not want him to hear. He could hear Mizu's voice mumbling quietly, but could not make out what was being said.

A loud wailing suddenly came from inside the room. Sora's eyes widened in horror as he heard his mother start to cry. In a panic, he quickly burst into the room to find Nikkou sobbing into her hands. Mizu was watching her with a sympathetic look.

Hating to see his mother cry, Sora quickly sat beside her and placed a hand on her back. It was difficult for him to see his mother sobbing and wailing, but he needed to know what was causing her to. He strongly suspected it was over himself. "Mom? What's wrong?"

Nikkou only replied to Sora by sobbing even more loudly. Crying in front of her son was something she rarely did, but now that she had started after hearing what Mizu had told her, she was unable to stop herself. She held her hands over her face, as if trying to hide it from Sora, and let the tears that race out of her eyes fall into her palms.

Growing shocked and panicking over his mother - as well as wanting desperately to know what had caused her to cry – Sora rubbed her back gently, He was gazing at her with wide eyes full of worry. "Mom, what is it?"

"Sora..." Mizu spoke in a calm voice, but loud enough to be heard above Nikkou's sobs. "We know what is wrong with you."

At the sound of the doctor's words, Sora immediately turned away from his crying mother to face the doctor. His confusion and worry was growing rapidly. "Doctor, what is it? Please tell me."

"Sora...you've got cancer."

* * *

**So there you go: Sora has just been told he has cancer, which is a rather sad ending for this chapter. I sure hope it hasn't put you off reading this story.**


	7. Parental Love

**And now, we shall see what happened after Sora got told the devastating news. I sure hope this chapter is okay.**

* * *

Sora could not stop crying.

Instantly after Mizu had told him the news that had shattered his mother's heart, Sora had gone into a state of shock for a few seconds before starting to cry. He had then hugged Nikkou, but had been unable to stay in her arms for long, as five doctors had come into the room to drag him away. Sora had screamed for his mother and tried to fight the doctors that were pulling him away and trying to get him to lie down on a hospital bed. Sora had been tempted to use his Keyblade on them so that he could run back into Nikkou's arms. However, before he could bring out his weapon, the doctors, who had managed to get him to lie down for long enough, strapped him to the bed and wheeled him away to the children's ward.

Sora had been taken to a room of his own, which was in better condition than most of the rooms in the hospital. It had four clean white walls that did not have any cracks. In front of the bed was a wooden chest of drawers with a television in front of him. A bedside table and a wooden chair were on the right side of the bed. The wall on Sora's left had a large window which looked out at the car park.

Doctors had raced in and out of the room for the past four hours. They had tried to examine Sora, but found it difficult, as seeing him cry broke their hearts. The thought of a boy as young as fifteen with cancer was terrifying for them. Any questions they tried to ask Sora were only answered with more sobs and wails.

Sora managed to calm down just before mid-afternoon. He was lying in the bed, all alone in the room, no longer sobbing and moaning. He turned his head to look out of his window, a few tears leaking out of his eyes. The doctors had unstrapped him from the bed, but he was feeling too weak and afraid to try to escape and find Nikkou. Sora was sure he was going to die and never see the people he loved again.

Nikkou walked slowly through the door of the room, which was on the wall on Sora's right. She was no longer crying, but her green eyes began to fill with tears when she saw her son lying on the bed. "Sora..."

Hearing his mother's sad voice, Sora turned to face her. Nikkou pulled out the wooden chair from under the bedside table to sit in it. As she gently took hold of her son's right hand, Sora began to sob again. "I've got cancer, Mom."

"I know, Sora," replied Nikkou quietly. "I'm sorry I was so angry with you. I was just worried."

Sora slowly closed his eyes. "No, Mom. _I'm_ sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the sun."

"No, it's my fault. I should have told you to put suntan lotion on."

Sora opened his eyes, looking miserably at his mother through teary eyes. "No, Mom_. I_ should have known to put it on."

"Why didn't I ever tell you to put suntan lotion? Nikkou sobbed, closing her eyes. "I'm the worst mother in the world."

"No, Mom!" Sora yelled loudly, reaching out with his left hand to take of his mother's right hand. Nikkou opened her eyes to look into her son's. Sora smiled weakly. "You've always been there for me, Mom. You've always looked out for me and treated me well." He sat up, leaned forward and hugged Nikkou tight. You're the best mother in the world. I love you."

Nikkou smiled proudly at Sora and hugged him back, not wanted to ever let go of him. A few tears leaked out of her eyes. "I love you too, Sora."

Sora closed his eyes and smiled as he remained in his mother's arms for a few seconds. As he gently pulled away, Nikkou gently stroked his forehead. "One of the doctors told me that it is nearly visiting time. Would you like me to phone Kairi and ask her to come up to see you?"

_Kairi!_ Sora thought in alarm. He wondered if she was still waiting for him to come. She would be very angry with him when she next saw him. Sora wondered how she would take the news that he had cancer. He knew he had to be the one to tell her, but didn't feel ready to hurt her with the news yet.

"Would you like that, Sora?"

Sora looked up at Nikkou. He was no longer smiling. "Um...actually, Mom, could you ask Riku to come instead please?"

Nikkou was a little surprised that Sora was no longer desperate to see Kairi, but she held her smile and nodded. "Okay, Sora."

* * *

Riku lay out on his bed as he listened to the loud rock music that was playing on his stereo, which was sitting on his window. The boy's bedroom was in a huge mess. Paper and potato chip packets were littered on the cream carpet. Although his mother had sent him to clean his room, Riku had just been lying on his bed, listened to the music he had put on.

The door to the room opened and Riku's mother walked in. Kuuki was a woman in her mid-forties with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue shirt with a black skirt and pink slippers. She looked at her son with an annoyed expression. "Riku! Turn that music down please! I'm talking on the phone!"

"The phone rang?" Riku replied loudly, trying to be heard above the music. "I didn't hear it!"

"No wonder," Kuuki muttered, walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. Riku remained on his bed, enjoying the music and having no intention of lowering the volume.

Kuuki returned a few minutes later. She was now looking more serious than angry. "Riku! Turn that music off please!"

"Okay, Mom! I'll clean my room! Just don't make me turn this off! This is good music!"

"It's not about your room! It's about Sora!"

"Sora?" Riku cried in shock. Quickly, he slammed his right hand onto the stereo - almost knocking it off the windowsill - and the music instantly stopped. Riku sat up, looking at his mother in desperation. "What is it, Mom?"

Kuuki sat beside her son and took his left hand. She knew that Sora and Riku were very close friends, so she spoke gently. "Yesterday, he fell asleep under the sun and got badly sunburnt."

"I know, Mom. I saw him. The burns looked very nasty."

"Did you know he had a lump as well?"

"A lump?" Riku's blue eyes widened with horror. "I saw him when I was out this morning! I think he was gonna tell me that, but his mother dragged him away! I had a feeling he was going to tell me he had a lump!"

"Well, that's it, Riku," murmured Kuuki softly. She was not enjoying having to break the news to her son. "He does have a lump."

Riku shook his head, his eyes starting to tear up. "Don't tell me Sora has got..."

"I'm afraid he does, Riku. Sora has got cancer."

* * *

**So in this chapter, you got to see the true side of Nikkou, a mother I created for Riku - and Riku receiving the terrible news of his best friend. :(**

**I expect some of you are disappointed that I have made Riku find out before Kairi. Well, as Sora has so many friends, I feel it is just as important they find out as well. I want to use their reactions to make this story even more moving. I think it is best that they find out before Kairi, as she is the one Sora loves - and I'm hoping that her finding out last will make it more enjoyable for you. That is, of course, if I am able to make it as touching as I want it to be. I sure hope I can.**


	8. Visiting Time

**In this chapter, which was written sooner than I planned, we shall find out how Riku takes the tragic news.**

* * *

"_Cancer?_" Riku cried in horror, a few tears leaking out of his eyes. "No, Mom! He can't get cancer!"

"I'm afraid he has, Riku," sighed Kuuki sadly. "He's got cancer."

"No, Mom! He can't! He's...Sora..." Riku wailed as he began to sob. He quickly covered his face with his hands. Riku never wanted anyone - not even his mother - to see him cry.

Kuuki put her arms around her son and hugged him tight. She understood how painful the news was to Riku, as well as to Sora and Nikkou. "It's okay, Riku."

"_Okay?_" Riku hissed in disbelief. "My best friend has got cancer! He could die! I could lose him - and so could Kairi! We can't lose Sora! How is that okay?"

"Because the doctors will look after him. They will not let Sora live his life with cancer. They will work hard to do what they can to make the cancer go away."

"What they can?" sobbed Riku loudly. "That's no good, Mom! They've got to cure him! He's my best friend!"

"I know," Kuuku replied quietly, as she hugged her crying son tightly and kissed him on the top of his head. "Nikkou told me it's nearly visiting time at the hospital and Sora said he wants you to go to see him. Would you like this?"

Sniffing, Riku nodded.

* * *

An hour later, Riku was standing alongside Kuuki in one of the hospital's elevators. It slowly made its way up to the seventh floor, where the children's ward was located. The elevator made its way past the fourth floor. It should have reached the seventh floor at that point, but since it had not been serviced for years, it operated more slowly. Riku was no longer crying and was now trying his best to keep his emotions sealed up inside him. He hoped he would be able to when he would saw Sora. He wondered if Kairi was already there, crying in Sora's arms.

The elevator soon stopped on the seventh floor. The bell made a chime and the doors slide open as slowly as the elevator had travelled upwards. Kuuki and Riku walked out slowly, finding themselves in a waiting room full of children and parents, all sitting in chairs. Some of the children were in bandages, while others were coughing and sneezing. None of them, however, looked happy to be at the hospital.

A desk was in the middle of the room with a secretary standing behind it. She had long black hair and blue eyes behind glasses. She was wearing a white coat and was looking through some sheets of paper that were lying in front of her on the desk. Kuuki left Riku standing outside the elevator and approached the desk to speak to the secretary. "Excuse me, but we're looking for Sora. Can you tell us where he is?"

The secretary pointed to a doorway that was on the back wall without looking up. "Down that corridor, room sixteen."

"Thank you," Kuuki replied before turning back to Riku and gesturing for him to follow her. Riku rejoined her and they walked towards the doorway. As they did, Riku looked at the children that were sitting in the chairs. Seeing them all looking unhappy to be at the hospital made Ruki feel sorry for them, but he did not say anything as he followed Kuuki through to doorway and down a long corridor. Riku turned his head to the left, looking at the numbers on the doors of the rooms they walked past.

"Kuuki! Riku! Down here!"

Riku quickly turned to look ahead. He spotted Nikkou waving to them. He and Kuuki walked a little faster and quickly joined Nikkou. Kuuki - who was Nikkou's best friend - quickly pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry this has happened to Sora."

Nikkou smiled at her best friend's comfort and hugged back. "It's okay. Thank you so much for coming." She turned to Riku. "Sora will be very happy to see you, Riku."

"Where is he?"

Nikkou pointed to the door she was standing outside of. It was painted white with a grey number sixteen on it and was hanging ajar. He's inside the room, waiting for you." Nikkou then turned to Kuuki without breaking the hug. "Kuuki, how about we go for a coffee? I'm sure the boys would like to have some time together instead of having us watch over them."

Kuuki nodded and broke the hug before turning to Riku. "Now you look after Sora, Riku. Be very careful with him and no silly-"

"I won't, Mom," Riku groaned, watching the two mothers turn away from him and walk down the corridor. He then turned to the door to the room. Knowing that inside the room was his best friend, who had caught a deadly disease which could kill him. Riku was unsure if he could control his emotions. He took a few deep breaths, determined not to let Sora see him cry.

Riku then realized that no sounds were coming from the room. He froze and listened hard. _If Sora is really in this room,_ he thought with concern, _he's being unusually quiet. Why isn't he making any sound at all? It doesn't make sense...unless...he's..._

_"SORA!_" Riku cried out loudly in horror, bursting into the room.

"Oh, hey, Riku."

* * *

**I decided to put a little bit of humour in the last part of this chapter, even though I want this story to be really sad. I hope it doesn't ruin it for you. **

**I would have continued writing here, but I think this is enough for one chapter. We will see what happens between Sora and Riku in the next chapter. And don't worry; I'm not changing this story from SoKai to SoRi (which I can't stand, as it's so obvious Sora loves Kairi). I just think since Sora and Riku are best friends and have been through so much, it's important to get a scene about the two of them talking about Sora's condition. **

**And don't worry; the part where Kairi finds out about Sora having cancer will soon happen, followed by everything she and Sora go through in this story. So stay tuned. ;)**


	9. Sworn to Secrecy

**Here is, so far, the longest chapter of the story. I sure hope the length won't put you off. It shows you what Sora and Riku talk about and what happens afterwards. I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

Riku looked at Sora, who was sitting up in the bed, grinning at him. Riku felt his eyes tear up again, but did his best to hold them in. He could not believe the boy in front of him, who had been his best friend since they were toddlers, had caught cancer and could die, yet still smile.

"Good to see you," Sora said quietly to him.

Riku shook his head to fight back the tears. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Cancer, eh, Sora?

Sora looked down miserably. "It's my fault. I should have put suntan lotion on and I should not have been sleeping under the sun. I've been too much of, as Kairi would call me, a lazy bum."

Riku managed to let out a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "It's no good blaming yourself now."

"You're right," Sora murmured, looking down at the floor of the room as he tried to accept the terrible fact he had been given. "I've got cancer and that's that."

"That's not what I meant," Riku replied quickly, waving his hands in front of him, a worried expression on his face. "I meant you need to focus on getting better, not continually blame yourself."

Sora raised his head to look up from the floor at Riku with a bit of hope in his expression. "_Can_ I get better?"

"Yes, the doctors will help you. You'll get the right treatment. However, you can't continue to be a lazy bum and let the doctors do all the work. You need to do what they say and treat yourself good."

"Do you think I _will_ be able to get better?"

"You had better!" Riku yelled angrily, his eyes tearing up again. He glared hard at Sora, finding the emotion he was going through becoming much more difficult to control. "I couldn't manage without you! Neither could Kairi!"

It was then that Riku realized that Kairi was not present in the room. He had not noticed earlier, due to the fact he had been focusing on Sora and feeling so upset as soon as he had seen him. Riku looked towards the door of the room, excepting Kairi to charge through it, run into Sora's arms and burst into tears, as she often did whenever she felt emotional.

"Is something wrong, Riku?" Sora asked in puzzlement. He was very surprised that his friend was now more interested in the door than him.

Getting an idea of why Kairi was not there, Riku turned back to Sora with a small frown. "Have you told Kairi yet?"

"No."

"_WHAT?_" Riku bellowed loudly in anger, feeling completely shocked and appalled by the single word Sora had answered him with. "You've gotta tell Kairi! You can't keep something like this from her, no matter how terrible it is!"

"Exactly!" Sora yelled back, returning the same tone of anger Riku had frightened him with in his voice. "I've already feel bad enough for letting Kairi down today! Now I'm gonna have to tell her I've got cancer and could die!"

Riku frowned in annoyance. "Well, yeah, you've gotta tell her soon."

"Not yet." Sora answered, his sudden tone of anger now being replaced by one of worry. He gazed down at the floor again, worrying about what would happen in the very moment when he would have to deliver the heartbreaking news to Kairi. "I don't know what I'm gonna say yet."

"Would you like me to tell her?" Riku offered.

Sora looked up from the floor, shooting a small frown of determination towards Riku. "No. I have to tell Kairi myself. I don't know what I'm going to say yet, but whatever it will be, it will be something that I must tell her, face to face. But until then, while I'm in hospital, I want you to tell her that you don't know where I am."

"Lie to her?" Riku raised his eyebrows at the sound of the unlikable favour Sora was asking him to do. He did not like the thought of lying to his other best friend.

"I can already tell you don't like the thought of having to do that. I don't blame you, Riku. I would hate having to lie to Kairi, too. I feel awful about having to ask you to do it. Then again, I feel awful about everything terrible I've done. But I need to do this, Riku. I haven't been there for Kairi in a long time. Now I desperately need to be there for her to tell her that she may never see me again."

"I'd hate to see how Kairi would react to hearing that," Riku muttered sadly, looking down at his feet. "She thought you were back for good when we returned home. She thought you would never leave her again."

Sora frowned in grief, trying to think about how he would tell Kairi about his condition. All he could think about, however, was Kairi crying hysterically over the news. Sora hated to even think about Kairi in tears. He was not looking forward to the day when he would be the one to make her cry by telling her he had cancer.

"So, yeah, perhaps it is better if you told her instead of me," Riku added before letting off a small sigh.

"I have to, Riku. Lately, I've done nothing but let Kairi down. Now I have to tell her my reason why I let her down today. So please, could you let me do it and not tell her where I am and why."

Riku nodded slowly. "Okay, Sora. It'll be hard for me to lie to Kairi, but I will not tell her the news that would hurt her, no matter how much I would hate it."

"Thank you, Riku," Sora smiled gratefully.

The door to the room was pushed open, and Nikkou and Kuuki walked in, side by side. Kuuki smiled softly when she saw Sora. "Hello, Sora."

"Hi, Kuuki."

Kuuki stood over the boy and gently took his hand. "You're going to be just fine. The doctors will take care of you and you'll soon feel better. So don't worry."

Sora looked up at his best friend's mother, returning the smile. "I'll do my best to try and help myself get better, as well."

"That's the spirit," Kuuki grinned before letting go of Sora's hand. She turned to Riku. "We had better get going. Visiting time is nearly over."

"Can we come back and visit tomorrow, Mom?" Riku quickly asked his mother. "If Sora wants us to."

"I'd like you, too," said Sora. "But you don't have to give up any plans you have to visit me."

Kuuki turned back to Sora with a smile. "It's no trouble at all, Sora. We shall come and visit you tomorrow."

"Thank you for coming, Kuuki," said Nikkou, approaching her best friend and pulling her into a hug.

"No problem, Nikkou." replied Kuuki, returning the hug while still smiling. "I know Sora will get better with a wonderful mother like you looking after him."

Nikkou blushed and smiled, turning to look at Sora as she continued to hug Kuuki.

"Bye, Riku." Sora raised his right hand and waved to the silver-haired boy. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you, Sora." Riku forced a smile as he waved back to his best friend. He wished that he was not going to be seeing his best friend in such a place as a hospital with a terrible, life-threatening illness. He wanted more than anything to see him feeling completely healthy and spending time with the red-haired girl who had missed him so much. It would also mean seeing the two of them very happy, which Riku knew would not be happening soon.

Kuuki broke the hug from Nikkou before heading towards the door to the room with her son. They turned and both gave one last wave to Sora and Nikkou, then disappeared together out through the door, closing it beside them. Sora's smile faded as he lay back gently on the bed, resting his head on the pillow. Nikkou looked down sadly at him, beginning to lovingly stroke his hair.

* * *

As darkness started to fall, Kuuki drove her grey car through the street where she and Riku lived. Riku sat in the front passenger seat, his head lost in thought over Sora. They lived a few streets away from Sora and Kairi, but all of the streets in the area where they lived looked almost identical to each other. The street where Kuuki and Riku lived stood out, due to the brickwork on the houses being a much richer shade of orange than the houses on the other streets. The bright orange of the hundreds and thousands of bricks used to build the houses looked even richer in the light that was coming from the streetlamps.

Kuuki steered the car to the left and slowly drove it into the driveway that was next to her house. She brought the car to a stop, pulled the hand brake up and put the gearstick in the middle before switching off the engine. "Come on, Riku."

Riku was just taking off his seat belt when a thought struck him. The thought worried him, but he knew he had to see if it was true. "Mom, can I go to the smaller island for a little while?"

"The smaller island?" Kuuki shot Riku a confused frown. "What for? Nobody's gonna be on there this time of the night."

"Someone might be," Riku answered. "I need to see if she still is. I won't be long."

"Alright, Riku," Kuuki sighed, watching her son climb out of the car, slamming the door behind him and sprinting out of the driveway and down the sidewalk. She kept her eyes fixed on him – helped by the light of the streetlamps – until he raced around a corner at the end of the street, disappearing from sight. Climbing out of the car, she let herself into the house.

* * *

Riku was soon rowing his boat along the smaller island, which was as pitch black as both the sky and the sea. The night seemed to know just how miserable as he was feeling, for instead of being beautiful with a full moon and thousands of stars sending down white light that was bright enough to illuminate all three of the islands, it was a very dark, cloudy and gloomy night. The moon and stars were hidden from view behind the clouds which could not be seen in the black sky, so they would not be showing Riku the way across the sea to the smaller island that night. A large flashlight, which was tied down to the front end of his boat, was doing the job instead. Riku always kept it inside his boat so as to lead his friends across the sea when they were rowing back from the smaller island to main one on nights such as this one. The flashlight was facing out in the direction Riku was rowing, so it was shooting out a huge circular beam of light from its face onto the water ahead. The beam lit up the black ripples that it moved slowly across and it even allowed Riku to see some small fish leaping out of the water before falling back in to swim away from the boat as quickly as they could.

Taking constant glances towards the small, dark island on the port side of his boat, Riku managed to see (despite the lack of natural light) the outline of the pier next to the beach, and the sound of the waves washing onto the shore came into his ears. Lifting the blade of the oar in his left hand out of the water, he continued to row with the one in his right hand. The boat stopped moving forward, beginning instead to rotate on the spot to its port side. As the beam in front of it given off by the flashlight moved along with it, it fell onto the pier, making the dark brown wood that had been used to build it look very bright in the darkness. Riku looked up towards where the light was shining – and his expression filled with worry when he saw something else that was wooden, tied to the pier and sitting in the water: it was another boat, and even though he was a few metres away, the light shooting onto it allowed him to easily see that it was narrower than his. The width of the boat told him exactly which of his friends it belonged to.

Wanting to make sure she definitely was on the smaller island, since she could have probably met up with one of their other friends and returned to the main one in the same boat as them, Riku rowed towards the pier. The huge beam of light grew smaller as he rowed closer, but still managed to lit up a fraction of the pier – as well as the other boat that was tied to it. Riku gazed down at it with a troubled expression as he brought his own boat to a stop right next to it. He placed his oars inside his boat, which he tied to the leg of the pier that was next to the one that held the other boat into place.

The wooden ladder that was used for boaters to climb onto the pier was out of Riku's reach. Raising his left leg up, he brought it down carefully into the other boat, which wobbled slightly at the sudden weight it was forced to carry. Riku stretched out his arms to balance himself so that he wouldn't fall into the water as he lifted up his right leg, bringing it down next to his left one. Now standing in the other boat, he was able to reach out towards the ladder to grab hold of both of its sides, place his feet onto the bottom rung and start to climb it fairly quickly.

As soon as he reached the top of the ladder, Riku was able to pull himself up onto the pier. He stood of the flat, smooth line of planks and took a few steps away from the ladder to stand on the opposite side where he could look down at the beach. He found that it was just as pitch as the sea and sky were, and it was also impossible to see any of the bright colours that made the smaller look like the wonderful place it was to visit. Squinting his eyes, Riku turned his head to look down towards where the waves usually reached at this hour – and his jaw fell as widely as his eyes had suddenly gone at the sight of who was in front of the shore.

There was a person standing there, gazing out towards the sea and not yet noticing Riku had arrived on the island. The silver-haired boy knew it was a girl, and the only girl it could be was the one he was best friends with. The colour of her hair was not visible in the blackness of the night, but he was able to see the length of it from the pier, not needing any light at all to know that it was red. Not one trace of the colour of the girl's min-idress could be seen, either, but Riku knew that it was the very one she wore everyday. He was also sure that, even though she was facing away from him, Kairi feeling upset and angry at the same time over Sora not arriving to see her and do the things they were supposed to do that day.

Riku took a few steps backwards, knowing that if Kairi saw him, she would ask him if he had seen Sora or knew where he was. He was not ready to lie to her yet. As he brought his right heel down onto the wood of the pier, he somehow lost his balance. With a loud cry of fright, he fell backwards, landing flat on his back and hitting the back of his head hard on the wood.

Groaning in pain, Riku sat up, his eyes clenched up tightly. He rubbed the back of his sore head with his hand furiously. As he pulled his hand away, he opened his eyes – and the first thing he saw – to his panic – was that Kairi had turned away from the sea and was looking up at the pier towards him. His face fell as he began to worry slightly – only to panic even more when he saw the girl run away from the shore and towards the staircase of the pier. He lowered his hand and placed it down onto the wood, closing his trembling mouth. This was the point where he would have to lie to one of his best friends – which he was still not ready to do.

Kairi raced up the staircase and stood on the pier, turning quickly towards where Riku was lying. It was hard for her to tell who it was, due to how dark the night was. She ran along the pier towards the boy, half in anger, half in hope, as she was wondering if it was Sora. As soon as she reached where the boy was lying, she gazed down urgently at him – and was now able to tell it was Riku. Her face filled with both worry and disappointment. "Riku? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Riku groaned, looking up at Kairi with huge worry and some annoyance towards himself. He decided he would never walk backwards again when trying not to be seen.

Kairi offered him a hand which he took. She pulled her friend to his feet before letting his hand go, taking a few steps back. She gazed curiously at him. "What are you doing out here, Riku?"

"Me?" Riku cried in alarm, the fear he was trying to his from Riku becoming visivle through his widened eyes and dropped jaw. He felt his legs wobble and his heart raced. What he was going to say to Kairi, he did not have a clue. "Never m-m-mind m-me! What ab-ab-about y-y-you?"

Kairi looked away from Riku with sadness upon her face, facing down towards the spot on the sand where she had been standing all day. "I was to meet Sora today. He promised me he would take me out and that the two of us would do the things we always used to do before you guys left."

"Oh, r-r-really?" stuttered Riku nervously, trying hard to stay on his feet. "That sounds n-n-nice."

"Yeah. But he didn't turn up. I've been waiting here all day for him." Kairi was too upset to notice Riku's stuttering. She miserably turned back to Riku. "You haven't seen him, have you, Riku?"

"No!" Riku cried out suddenly in panic, then realized how loud the tone of his voice had been. He tried hard to lower it. "I...I mean, no, Kairi. I h-haven't seen Sora all d-d-day."

Kairi frowned slightly, now noticing that Riku was stuttering and shaking nervously. She did not understand why. "You sure?"

"Absolutely. Sorry, Kairi, b-b-but I gotta g-g-g-go. Mom wants me h-h-home."

Turning away from Kairi in less than a second, Riku took a few large steps towards the side of the pier which their boats were tied to. He almost fell off as he came to a stop at the edge, needing to take a few steps backwards to over ending up tumbling into the freezing cold sea water. With a large leap off the pier into the air (the largest Kairi had ever seen him to), Riku landed inside his boat with both of his feet causing a loud thump. He spun around quickly and tried hastily to untie the rope holding the boat to the leg – finding to his horror that the knot seemed to be tighter than he had done it, as if to keep him on the smaller island so that Kairi could find out what he was trying to keep from her. Never once had Riku wanted to leave behind Kairi or try to get away from her – but he needed to now, or she would probably find he was lying to her and break up their friendship that had always been so strong.

Managing to finally undo the knot, Riku grabbed his oars and hit the water with their blades, creating a big splash on each side of his boat. He began to row away quickly, facing away from the direction he was going. As he went further away from the pier, more of it was lit up by the beam of light from his flashlight, which seemed to expand along it. Riku was too worried to notice this, just as much as he was to realize he would not need the flashlight. The clouds in the sky were parting away from each other, revealing a full moon which was just beginning to light up the sky, the sea and the island, revealing how beautiful they all looked, even at night time.

Kairi's blue eyes had been following the moving circular light that had been coming from Riku's flashlight across the sea, but she had now turned and raised her head to look up at the moon that was clearly visible up in the sky. The position it was at told Kairi just how late the night was. She glared angrily at the moon, feeling let down by Sora. She had been expecting a fun day with the boy she loved, only to spend endless hours standing on the beach. She had waited all day for him to come, but receiving a large amount of disappointment instead. Sora had broken his promise to her – something which Kairi had _never_ expected him to do.

The beautiful sight of the moon only added to her anger, so Kairi turned away from it, walking over to the side of the pier where her boat was. Standing over the boat, she took a jump off the pier, landing on her feet inside it. She turned around to look at the legs of the pier, the glare still on her face as she untied her boat from the one that kept it from drifting away.

As soon as she was able to row away, Kairi turned around again and sat down in the boat, seething. She took hold of the two ores, one in each of her hands – which were both almost turning red from the frustrated grip she was holding them in. Kairi began to row away from the pier, the bright moonlight that was shooting down from the sky lighting up the sea around her and allowing her to make her way back to make island. She travelled slowly in her narrow boat alongside the smaller island, feeling upset, furious and disappointed.

* * *

**Poor Kairi, eh? She's a victim, just like Sora is. She was expecting to give her a fun day, but doesn't know where he is. Riku knew, but lied to her. Can't really blame Kairi for feeling let down here. ;)**


	10. Extra Company

****

**Here's chapter ten. I'm sorry that updates are going at a slower pace than before. As my exams are drawing closer, I must spend more time studying, even though I would much rather spend time writing this. You can expect updates at a faster pace once my exams are done.**

* * *

"You slept well last night, Sora."

"Not really. The bed was rather hard. It's much more comfy to sleep on the beach of Destiny Islands. Then again, looking at the reason, why I'm here, it's safer to sleep here. But I'd rather not be here. I'd rather be at home."

"I know, son."

Sora was groggily sitting up in the hospital bed. He was trying hard to stay awake, as the strange hardness of the mattress had made it almost impossible for him to sleep during the night. Nikkou was sitting next to him in the wooden chair. She smiled softly at her son, gently stroking his hair. Sora wondered what Kairi would say about what he had said about him finding sleeping under the sun if she were present and aware of his disease.

"When did you wake up, Mom?"

"About two hours ago. You were still in the land of dreams, so I went to see one of the nurses and asked if they could bring breakfast up to you.

Sora grinned and rubbed his hands. While he did not enjoy being kept in a hospital, he always enjoyed the food there. When he had been five, Sora had broken his arm and was kept in a hospital overnight. He had been reluctant to go to sleep, but did eventually drop off, waking up to find a plate of waffles topped with ice cream waiting for him. Sora licked his lips, remembering the taste. "I hope I'm getting waffles again."

Nikkou chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, Sora, I asked the nurse if you could have something-"

Before she could finish, there was a knock on the door. Nikkou got to her feet and approached the door. She opened it to find a nurse standing outside. Nikkou smiled and took a few steps back, allowing the nurse to step into the room. She had pale skin with long flowing brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue uniform and was carrying a bowl of fruit. She smiled when she saw Sora. "Good morning. I brought your breakfast."

"Thanks! Where is it?" Sora asked hungrily.

The nurse gave him a confused look, the approached the bedside table, setting the bowl of fruit down onto it. "Here it is. Some nice healthy fruit."

Sora looked at the bowl of fruit in surprise. He looked up at Nikkou, then at the nurse, trying to hide his disappointment. "Um...thank you."

"My pleasure." With a smile, the nurse walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Nikkou sat down on the wooden chair. She could sense her son's disappointment, but tried to encourage him to eat the fruit. "That looks nice, doesn't it, Sora?"

"Mom!" Sora whined, looking up at her. "Why did you get me fruit? I wanted something sweet to eat!"

"I know, Sora. But you've got to eat healthy food, especially with your condition."

Sora sighed and reached for the bowl of fruit. He took hold of a green grape that was on a bunch. Pulling it off, he put it into his mouth and chewed slowly. "I'll be glad to get out of here."

* * *

Later on, over at her house, Kuuki had just finished washing up her dishware. She was standing in her kitchen, which had black and white checkered floor tiles, pulling the plug out of her silver sink. The dirty water was sucked down the drain while she placed the last plate she had washed onto a large pile of dishes that were stacked up on the draining board, all sparkling white.

Kuuki then looked at the round clock that hung on one of the whitewalls of the kitchen. It had just gone ten to four in the afternoon. Kuuki checked the watch she was wearing on her left wrist. "It's nearly visiting time at the hospital. The dishes will dry while we are out."

Kuuki stepped out of the kitchen, walked past the doorway that led to her sitting room and walked though her corridor, which had a wooden floor and lime green painted walls, stopping at the foot of the staircase. "Riku! It's nearly time to go!"

Waiting patiently for her son, Kuuki heard Riku's door open and close. Slowly, the sixteen-year old boy made his way down the stairs. He stopped in front of his mother, looking down at his feet.

"What's wrong, Riku?" Kuuki placed a hand on her son's cheek, looking at him in worry. "Is it about Sora?"

Riku looked up at his mother with sad blue eyes. "I've just been on the phone to one of our friends. I told her about Sora's condition. She was so heartbroken. She's going to meet us down at the hospital."

Kuuki gently caressed her son's cheek. "Who is it?"

* * *

"When is Riku coming?" asked Sora, turning over in the bed.

"It's only four o'clock now," replied Nikkou with a smile. "He won't be long now. Eat some more fruit while your waiting."

Sora slowly turned his head to face the fruit. He had only eating since the morning a few grapes and an orange segment. He looked up at the white ceiling tiles. "No, thanks."

Then came the sound of a knock on the door. Nikkou smiled softly. "That'll be Riku now."

Sora smiled and watched Nikkou walk towards the door, opening it wide. Sure enough, Riku was standing there, a friendly smile on his face.

"Ah, Riku," exclaimed Nikkou. "Thank you for coming again. Is your mother here?"

"She's down the corridor. I ran on ahead of her."

"I'll leave you boys to chat." Holding her smile, Nikkou left the room and walked towards the corridor on her right, leaving the door to the room open. Sora and Riku smiled at each other.

"Thanks for coming again, Riku."

"No problem, Sora. Only this time, I'm not alone."

"Not alone?" Sora raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"You've got extra company, Sora," Riku smiled. "A girl, as a matter of fact."

"Extra company? A _girl?_" Sora instantly went into a state of alarm. He looked at Riku with an expression that was mixed of anger and shock.

"What?" Riku asked, looking at Sora with puzzlement.

"_RIKU! I TOLD YOU NOT TO TELL KAIRI!_"

* * *

**I would have carried on writing here, but for fun, I decided to end this on a cliffhanger, leaving you to wonder whether the extra company is Kairi or not. It could be. You never know. I'm not gonna reveal until the next chapter. Feel free to say in the reviews who you think it is. :)**


	11. Increasing Worry

**I'm so sorry that you've had to wait long for this update. :( I've been under a lot of pressure lately, due to my exams and other things, so I haven't really had time to write. I still didn't have the time when I wrote this, but I pushed myself to write it, in case people thought I was giving up writing this story. I wasn't in much of a writing mood when I started, but soon got back into it. I sure hope this isn't badly written. :(**

* * *

Riku took a few nervous steps back, startled by Sora's outburst and beginning to worry. "Sora, listen-"

"_I TOLD YOU NOT TO TELL HER, RIKU!_" Sora yelled angrily, glaring hard at Riku. He was very shocked that his best friend had not done the serious favour he had needed him to do. "_I TOLD YOU I'D TELL HER MYSELF! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO-_"

"Sora!" a small female voice squeaked with fright. "Don't yell at Riku!"

Upon hearing the voice, Sora stopped yelling. Instantly recognising the voice, he turned with surprise towards the doorway to find Tidus standing there, dressed in his yellow t-shirt with white sleeves, which was always open to bare his chest, along with his dark blue shorts, which went down to just past his knees, as well as his eye yellow and grey sandals. He looked at Sora with wide blue eyes and shook his head in disbelief, strands of his blond hair waving about. His right arm was around the shoulders of the girl who had spoken: a scared and trembling Selphie.

"Selphie?" Sora looked at the frightened fourteen-year old girl before turning to Riku. "You told Selphie?"

Riku nodded slowly, folding his arms. "And she told Tidus."

"Don't yell, Sora," Tidus spoke firmly with a frown. He gently squeezed Selphie's shoulder. "You're scaring Selphie."

Sora turned to Selphie, feeling ashamed when he saw how frightened she was. She was looking at him with a stunned expression. Her mouth was opening and closing, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Sighing, Sora turned away from his three guests, facing the window on the wall on his left. He wished he had not behaved the way he had when Riku had tried to tell him who he had brought along to see him. "I'm sorry, Selphie."

A loud sob filled the room, causing Sora to jump up with surprise. He turned back to his friends, stunned, to Selphie to see her hold her head and burst into tears. The boys looked at her in shock. It was not very often that they saw Selphie cry, for she was nearly always a happy girl, often smiling and giggling. Tidus had wrapped his arms tightly around her as she continued to weep into her hands. To see her Selphie made Sora feel like crying. He looked down at the floor in shame, knowing he was the one who had caused to.

"Why, Sora?" Selphie wailed between loud sobs. She pulled her hands away to look at Sora, tears leaking out of her eyes and proceeding to run down her cheeks. She broke out of Tidus' embrace, raced towards Sora's right side and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Why did you have to get cancer! I don't want to have cancer!"

"None of us want you to," Tidus sighed gloomily, looking up at Sora in clear sadness. He hated for his friend to have a deadly disease and to see the girl he secretly loved in tears.

Sora glanced at Tidus before turning to the crying Selphie and hugged her back gently. He realized how the disease his laziness had caused him to have was affecting all of the people he was close to. He was now feeling even more nervous about breaking the news to Kairi. Seeing how hysterically Selphie reacted made him dread seeing how the girl he loved would take the news, but he knew he couldn't keep it from her forever and would have to tell her himself, no matter how hard it was.

As Selphie's sobs started to become quieter, Sora looked away from her to gaze up at Riku. The silver-haired boy had turned towards the wall behind him with his back to his friends. It seemed to Sora that he was trying to avoid any eye-contact with him.

Assuming that Riku was now angry with him for accusing him of telling Kairi, Sora looked down sadly. "I'm sorry, Riku."

Riku turned around to face Sora again with a small, upset smile. "It's okay, Sora. I should have told you I had told Selphie."

Selphie broke the hug with Sora and looked at him with confused tear-filled eyes. "Did you not want me to come, Sora?"

Sora looked back towards the girl who was devastated to learn about his condition. He gave her a small, soft smile. "I wasn't expecting you or Tidus to come, Selphie. But I'm really grateful that you are both here."

"We came, because we care about you," Selphie smiled sadly, reaching up to wipe away the tears that were running down her cheeks. She looked over her shoulder at Tidus. "Don't we, Tidus?"

"Of course," Tidus nodded, walking over to stand beside Selphie. As he put his arm around her shoulders again, he grinned reassuringly at Sora. "I know you'll get better, Sora. You'll be able to beat this disease."

Sora smiled, not feeling as optimistic about being able to get better as Tidus was, but grateful for the support. "Thank you, Tidus."

"Remember that, Sora. We all care about you," Selphie told him firmly, looking down at him, her eyes now filled with seriousness instead of tears. "And we want you to get better more than anything."

Sora looked up at the girl, touched by how caring she was towards him. "I'll remember that," he smiled. "Thanks, Selphie."

"I care about you." Selphie put her arm around Tidus' shoulders, taking him by surprise. "Tidus cares about you."

"I certainly do," Tidus grinned with a blush, enjoying having the arm of the girl he secretly loved around his shoulders.

Selphie raised her free arm to point at Riku. "Riku cares about you."

Riku nodded with a small smile. "Yep."

"And Kairi cares about you!" Selphie finished with a wide grin.

Upon the mention of Kairi's name, Sora's smile faded. He looked down, once again, worrying about having to break the news to her. "Kairi..."

Selphie's grin faded when she saw Sora's expression. She was starting to grow worried about her other friend. "How did she take the news?"

"I..." Sora began, but his voice trailed off quietly. He knew the moment he would tell them that Kairi did not know, Selphie would go hysterical again.

Tidus' grin had faded and was now replaced with a frown. "You have told her, haven't you?"

Sora looked up at them with guilt, his mouth hanging open with his lips trembling. Trying to tell them that Kairi had not heard the horrible news was difficult to do, so he was ot able to say anything.

Reading his expression, Selphie's jaw dropped in horror. She glanced quickly at Riku, who had an expression that was almost identical to Sora's, and then at Tidus, who was looking down at Sora with wide eyes of realizing, before turning back to the boy in the hospital bed. "You haven't told her?"

"Not yet," Sora murmured quictly, looking down as he closed his eyes full of sadness. "But-"

"_YOU'VE GOT TO TELL HER!_" Selphie suddenly bellowed angrily, completely full of another emotion that she hardly ever felt. "_YOU CAN'T KEEP SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM KAIRI!_"

"I'm not going to!" Sora retorted loudly, trying hard to shout at a level where Selphie would believe what he was trying to get across to her. He was still recovering the fright he had shared with the other boys when Selphie had started yelling at him. "I'm gonna tell her, Selphie!"

"_IF YOU DON'T - I WILL!_"

"_NO!_" Sora and Riku cried in unison, both of them starting to panic frightfully, as they knew Selphie would indeed carry out the threat she was making. They did not want anyone other than Sora to tell Kairi what had been kept from her, as they knew it would mean both of their friendships with her would be affected.

The bellowing tone Sora and Riku had shouted at her with had taken Selphie by surprise. Realizing how loud she had been, she clasped a hand to her mouth in guilt, taking a few deep breaths

"Please don't tell Kairi, Selphie," Sora pleaded desperately, looking up at the fourteen-year old girl with worried eyes. "I have to tell her myself. I was supposed to take her out yesterday, but I was rushed in here without her knowing. I don't doubt she is mad at me now."

Selphie thought for a moment. "Well...if I told her, then she'd understand and wouldn't be mad at you."

"No, Selphie," Sora replied firmly, "_I _have to tell her."

"Yes, Selphie," Tidus agreed understandingly as he gently rubbed the girl's back. "This isn't the sort of news to ask friends to pass onto. Sora has to tell Kairi himself."

Selphie looked up at Tidus sadly before turning to Sora and giving a nod, knowing what he and Tidus were telling her was correct. "Alright, Sora. I won't tell Kairi."

Sora opened his mouth to thank Selphie, but was interrupted by a push of the door to the room. A young woman came walking into the room. She had shoulder-length brown hair that matched Selphie's, and was dressed in a blue cardigan, a pink skirt and black flats.

Walking past Riku, the woman approached the bedside. She stood beside it, looking down at Sora with her light blue eyes, a soft smile on her face. "Hello, Sora."

"Hello, Mrs Tilmitt," Sora greeted the woman politely, smiling back up at her.

"We found out from Riku about you getting cancer." The woman glanced at the silver-haired boy with a nod before turning back to Sora, placing a hand on his forehead. "Don't worry. You'll be okay. The doctors will take good care of you. So will your Mom."

"Thank you, Mrs Tilmitt."

Mrs Tilmitt turned to Selphie and Tidus. "We've got to get going now. Tidus, I spoke to your mother on the phone. She said you can come to our house if you like."

Tidus grinned widely. "Yes please, Mrs Tilmitt."

"Oh, thank you, Mom," Selphie smiled gratefully up at her mother. She always enjoyed having the boy she secretly loved at her house.

"It's okay." Mrs Tilmitt answered her daughter before turning to Riku. "Riku, your mother said you have to go, as well. She's waiting for you at the hospital coffee shop with Sora's mother."

"Okay." Riku turned towards Sora and raised a hand with a smile. "See you soon, Sora."

"Bye, Riku," Sora smiled back, raising his own hand to wave. "Thanks for coming to see me again."

"No problem," Riku walked towards the open door, holding his smile and looking towards Sora while waving before disappearing out of the room. "Bye."

Sora turned to Tidus and Selphie, grinning at them. "Thanks for coming, guys. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Sora," Tidus and Selphie replied in unison, waving at Sora together as they turned to follow Mrs Tilmitt out of the room.

Sora lay back in the bed and let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes. The company and support of his friends had made him feel much happier. Thinking about how lucky he was to hace always known such kind friends brought a smile to his face.

"Oh, Sora."

Sora opened his eyes again to see Selphie sticking her head through the doorway. She was looking towards him with a small grin. "I won't tell Kairi."

Beginning to feel worried about trusting Selphie, Sora's smile faded. He opened his mouth to reply, but Selphie had already retreated away. Sora closed his mouth again and gulped, his worry increasing. He was not sure if she could be trusted not to tell Kairi about him having cancer before he could. Although she was a very good friend, Sora knew a giggly and talkative girl like Selphie would not be able to keep a secret from her friends for very long, no matter how much she was told not to.

* * *

**So there's the newest chapter - and I'm sorry to say that, once again, it'll be a while before the next one. I'm so sorry. :( It's just my exams are about to start. I will update as soon as I can. Just please be patient.**


	12. Slip Up

**Hi, guys! :D My exams are finally over and I am finally out of school for good! :D That means I have plenty of time on my hands now and I can use that for updating this. I'm so sorry the updates have been taking so long. Now that I'm out of school, however, you can expect them to come much quicker. :)**

* * *

Selphie and Tidus were sitting in the back seats of Mrs Tilmitt's small blue car, which she drove down a small narrow street where she lived with her daughter and often-working husband. It was within the same estate where Sora and Kairi lived, and was a lot closer to the beach of the main island. The most notable difference was that the houses here had been built with white limestone, instead of rich orange bricks. They still made the street as two rows, one on each side of the road that was filled with parked cars. In front of each house was a small, green, rectangular lawn with a white fence in front of it, and alongside side them both was a concrete driveway. While they looked very different to the houses on the street where Sora and Kairi lived, all of the houses here were still two-storeys high.

Mrs Tilmitt drove het car to the end of the street and steered it into the empty driveway of the house where she lived, which was on the end of the left side. She had expected the driveway to be free for her to park in, as her husband would not be home from his job for another few hours. Bringing the car to a stop, she pulled the handbrake up and placed the gearstick out of gear before switching off the engine. Taking off her seatbelt, she turned to look back at her daughter and the boy who was joining them. "Are you two coming in?"

Selphie looked out of her window up at the sky, which was now a bright orange, for the sun was beginning to sink. Selphie thought the sky looked lovely and she knew that would from the beach of the smaller island, as well. It would be a perfect time to go to there with the boy she secretly loved.

Turning to Tidus with a smile, Selphie took his hand eagerly. "Let's go to the beach, Tidus!"

Tidus' eyes widened and he looked down at Selphie's hand that was holding his. He blushed softly, smiling back at Selphie with a nod. "Alright then, let's go!"

"Be back before dark," ordered Mrs Tilmitt, opening the door to the driver's side. She stepped out of the car and closed the door gently behind her.

Selphie quickly unplugged her seatbelt to leave the car. As Tidus was just unplugging his, she tugged on his arm impatiently, wanting to race down to the nearby beach and get their boats. "C'mon, Tidus! Let's go! It'll be dark soon!"

"The sunsets here always stretch out for a long time, Selphie!" Tidus laughed, as Selphie dragged him out through the door on her side and pulled him away from the car, leaving the door wide open. She ran excitedly out of the driveway and down the sidewalk, holding the boy's hand tightly as she pulled him along with her.

Mrs Tilmitt sighed at her energetic daughter's impatience as she walked over to the door that had been left open, pushing it shut gently. She looked up to watch her daughter lead Tidus quickly around the nearby corner at the end of the street and vanish out of sight.

* * *

Sitting in the front of the boat which glided swiftly through the sparkling water and alongside the smaller island, Selphie smiled in amazement up at the sinking sun. It was still visible high up in the sky, positioned just over the horizon. She thought it would be very wonderful to get a chance to watch it sink from the beach with Tidus – who was sitting behind her, rowing the boat. The two of them had agreed, when they had reached at the beach on the main island, to travel to the smaller one together in the same boat. Since the evening they were boating through across the sea was so beautiful, they thought it would be a better thing to do than go in their own separate boats. Tidus was unable to take in much of the sunset yet, as he was the one who was rowing. He pushed the boat he and Selphie were sitting in through the salty water with the use of the two oars, looking down at his feet while doing so.

Selphie noticed that they were just about to pass the very end of the smaller island, which meant Tidus would have to row the boat to port to head towards the pier. She looked over her right shoulder towards the boy sitting behind her, shooting him a wide grin of excitement. "We'll have lots of fun on the beach, Tidus! We can play hide-and-seek! We can go exploring up the paths and bridges! We can watch the sunset-"

"Watch the sunset?" Tidus interrupted, looking back up at Selphie and returning a grin as wide as hers. He liked the sound of watching the sunset from the beach with the girl he spent a lot of time with by his side. Noticing that they were reaching the end of the smaller island, he stopped rowing with his left hand, but continued to do so with his right hand as he lowered his eyes back down towards his feet again. He knew the boat's front end would soon be pointing towards the pier.

"Yeah!" Selphie squealed happily, nodding towards Tidus and still grinning widely at him. She wanted him to row a little faster so that they would soon be standing together on the beach. "We're gonna watch the sunset! Just like Sora and-"

As Selphie turned her head away from Tidus to look ahead and see if they were looking towards the pier, her grin suddenly faded away and was replaced by an expression of surprise and panic. "Kairi?"

The way Selphie had said the name of the other girl who Tidus was good friends with did not sound right. Not understanding why and, the boy frowned as he stopped rowing, looking up in concern – to see exactly what had shocked Selphie. His jaw dropped as he began to grow suddenly stressed. They were a few metres away from the pier – and he could clearly see just as well as Selphie could that Kairi's small, narrow boat was tied to it. The sight of it had told him within a second that the fifteen-year old girl was most likely on the island.

"Kairi must have decided have come back here and wait for Sora again," Selphie wondered aloud, her face scrunching up with sympathy towards her red-haired friend. She looked over her shoulder towards the worried Tidus, hoping he would agree with what she was about to tell him. "We have to go and speak to her."

Tidus got rid of his troubled stare towards the boat that was tied to the pier to frown slight at Selphie. "But Sora said that he doesn't want you to tell Kairi that he has cancer. That's something he needs to tell her that himself."

"I know that, Tidus," Selphie insisted miserably, "We just need to _speak _to her. She must have been there for hours all by herself, waiting for Sora. She's probably feeling really upset. We're not gonna tell her why Sora hasn't been there. We're just gonna speak to her. This is something _we_ need to do."

Tidus gazed up at the girl who was pleading him with the expression on her face that was difficult for him to take in. Letting off a sigh, he began to row with both ores once again towards the pier. A lot of worry was still going through his mind. He knew that if they did see Kairi on the island, the first thing she would ask them would be if she had seen the boy she was supposed to meet up with. Tidus had no intention of delivering the horrible news of what Sora was going through to Kairi – but he doubted lying to her (something which he had never done before) would be easily. He was also afraid that Selphie would be unable to hide the devastating secret from her for very long, even though she had told Sora she would not let it slip.

The boat the two fourteen-year olds were in was rowed up to the pier, on the starboard side of Kairi's. As soon as Tidus had brought it to a stop, Selphie took a small look towards the boat they were alongside before taking a quick jump into it, causing it to wobble slightly above the small waves that passed underneath it. The girl gazed worriedly at the nearby ladder with the same sad expression she had faced Tidus with. It was impossible for her to stop wondering if she would spot Kairi as soon as she would stand up on top of the pier.

While Tidus was starting to tie their boat to the wooden pier leg he was docking it in front of, Selphie reached out towards the ladder to take hold of each of sides with her hands. Placing one foot on the bottom wooden rung before the other, she started to climb, taking a few deep breaths at the thought of being about to see an upset Kairi and trying to comfort her. Selphie did not think she would be able to make the fifteen-year old girl feel better, as what had been supposed to make her very happy had failed to happen. The entire situation with Sora was a lot more terrible than Kairi knew – and she would not even be able to learn about it yet.

Reaching the top of the Ladder, Selphie pulled herself up. The wood of the pier creaked underneath her pair of brown sandals as she stood up straight. She peered down nervously towards the sand on the beach as she took a few steps forward – and her green eyes widened as what she had expected came into her sight.

Kairi was standing on the beach in the same spot as the day before, looking out towards the horizon. The sad expression on her face was easy for Selphie to see from on top of the pier, as were some of the tears that were falling down her cheeks, as many others had done throughout the day. Kairi's head lowered as she gazed down at her feet. Her expression was a little harder to see now, but Selphie could still easily tell that her friend was feeling upset and let down. She also knew exactly which person Kairi was feeling over this over.

Selphie could hear Tidus' quiet footsteps on each of the ladder's rungs. She managed to turn her head away from what was down on the sand below her to see the boy come up alongside her, standing on her left. He was looking towards where Kairi was standing, becoming just as saddened by how devastated she clearly was as Selphie had felt as soon as she had spotted her. The fourteen-year old girl saw the boy turn towards her with wide blue eyes and curved lips, as if he was silently asking her if she was sure about going to speak to Kairi while keeping the secret about Sora's cancer from her. Selphie just gazed back at him for a few seconds before walking along the pier towards the staircase that led down to the sand. She could hear the knocking of soles against the flat wooden surface as Tidus followed behind her.

Once she had led Tidus down the steps, Selphie turned to look towards the shore. She immediately spotted Kairi standing there in depression, her head still hanging low and her back to them. The fourteen-year old walked slowly along the sand, making her way up to the red-haired girl, feeling very concerned about her. "Hey, Kairi! Are you okay?"

Surprised by the sound of Selphie's voice, Kairi quickly reached up with her right hand to wipe away the tears that were leaking out of her eyes. Putting on a smile, she looked over her shoulder towards her worried friends, trying hard to hide her deep sadness from them. "Hey, guys. I'm okay."

Selphie knew instantly that Kairi was just trying to keep the hurt she was feeling over Sora from her. She was not used to this, for while he had been away for a year, she had always allowed the fifteen-year old girl to let her emotions that had been building up each day out in front of her. She glanced back towards Tidus - who was walking along the sand to join them – before reaching up to place a hand onto Kairi's shoulder. "Sora hasn't come, has he?"

Feeling the pain inside her heart growing, Kairi looked out at the sea again, not wanting Tidus and Selphie to see the fresh new tears that were starting to pour of her eyes and race down her cheeks. "He didn't come yesterday! He promised me that he would come and we would both have a lovely day together! But he didn't! I stood here, waiting all day, but he never came! I was really angry when I went home, but when I woke up this morning, I thought he would come today! So I stood here all day again, just like I did all day yesterday!"

Kairi buried her face into her hands, beginning to sob hard with all of the hurt Sora was putting her through. "But he never came! He broke his promise! Sora has _never _broken a promise to me!"

Selphie looked down sadly at her feet, feeling sorry for both Kairi and Sora. She knew that Sora had not deliberately broken his promise to Kairi and that he was feeling terrible for letting her down. She wondered if she should tell Kairi the very reason why Sora had not arrived to the smaller island and kept the promise he had made and meant.

Kairi quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks before turning to face them, her blue eyes shining. "I don't suppose either of you two have seen him, have you?"

"Yes, Kairi," Selphie said before she could stop herself. "We ha-"

"_SELPHIE!_" Tidus yelled in shock, his eyes wide and jaw hanging open. He was unable to believe Selphie had just slipped up and revealed to Kairi they knew where Sora was. He quickly went from worried to frightened, as he was sure he and Selphie – along with Sora – were in huge trouble.

"You've seen him?" Kairi's jaw dropped and she looked from Selphie to Tidus, desperate to know where Sora was, but unable to understand why Tidus had yelled at Selphie for saying she had seen him. "Where is he?"

"We don't know!" Tidus replied quickly, grabbing Selphie firmly by her hand and pulling her towards the staircase at the end of the pier. He dragged her along the sand as fast as he could, intending to get off the smaller island and away from Kairi. He glanced back in fear as he ran, seeing with scared eyes a shocked and angry Kairi.

"_STOP!_" Kairi yelled furiously after them, began to give chase across the sand. She glared hard at Tidus and Selphie as she raced after them, realizing now that they knew something about Sora they did not want her to know. "Come back here and tell me where Sora is!"

Tidus gasped for breath, but continued to run with Selphie in tow, reaching the pier's staircase. He quickly ran up them and was soon charging along the pier itself while pulling the fourteen-year old behind him. A quick glance down towards the sand below them told him – as he had guess and hoped would not happen – that Kairi was heading towards the steps. His panic was beginning to grow rapidly, as he was sure she would chase him and Selphie in their boats across the sea to find out did not want to find out where Sora was. He did not want to find out what would happen if they were caught.

"You know something about Sora which I don't!" Kairi roared angrily, looking away from the steps she was heading towards to shoot her deepening glare towards the two fourteen-year olds running along the pier. "Come back here and tell me right now where he is or-"

Before she could finish her threat, Kairi tripped on a small rock that she had not seen was lying in her path on the sand. With a huge cry, she fell down onto her front with a soft thump, weakly lying face down in the sand.

"_KAIRI!_" Selphie yelled loudly in panic, looking down in shock from the pier she was being dragged along towards where her friend was lying on the sand. "Tidus, stop!"

Tidus took no notice of Selphie and continued to pull her as quickly as he could along the pier until they were standing over where their boat was tied. Gripping Selphie's hand tightly, he took a large jump forward, pulling the shocked girl off the pier and causing her to land unprepared on her feet inside the boat. As the boat shook underneath them, Selphie, startled from the little fall, felt herself losing balance and stretched her arms out to stop herself from falling into the water. Tidus pushed hurriedly past her to untie the front end of the boat from the pier, wanting to row away from the smaller island as fast as his fear had risen.

The knot in the end of the rope that was tied around the leg of the pier became undone quickly. Tidus pushed past Selphie again and sat down in his head of the boat, facing away from her. To get away from the smaller island at a fast speed, he needed to be able to see where he was going – and he was also worried he would say something cruel to Selphie if he was saying her. With his trembling arms, he hastily picked up the two oars by their handles, splashed their blades down into the water and began to row forward quickly.

No longer taking in the sinking sun or the deep orange colour of the sky that was reflected in the ocean, Selphie gazed miserably over her shoulder at the island she was being rowed away from. Her friend was on the island, all by herself and feeling hurt. Despite still recovering from the fright she had shared with Tidus when Kairi had become angry with them and started to chase them, Selphie was still very upset over what the fifteen-year old girl was going through. She had just found out that Sora, the boy who had always managed to make her happy, was keeping a secret from her. That would be enough to make her feel sad. What the secret was and how terrible it happened to be, which she would eventually have to hear from Sora, was sure to make Kairi burst into tears and cry hysterically for endless hours.

* * *

The hull of Tidus' boat had eventually scraped through the soggy sand that the waves on the main island's empty beach were washing over. The boy had rowed there from the smaller island at a quick pace without looking back at Selphie or saying a word to her. He placed the oars down onto the base of the boat, which he climbed out of on its port side, stepping into the freezing cold water. He did not take any notice of the low temperature on his feet any more than he took in how the main beach was looking during the long-lasting sunset. His head was fixed towards the other boats that were being kept at the back of the beach. He took hold of his boat on its port side, intending to push it up to where the other boats were.

Selphie climbed out of the boat on its starboard side, which she took hold of as she stood in the waves, turning worried towards Tidus. The sadness she was feeling fell even lower as the boy she loved began to lead her out of the water and towards the other boats without looking back at her. He had not said a word to her while he had been rowing for the main island, yet he had been determined not to leave her with Kairi on the smaller one while they had been chased. Selphie knew the very reason for Tidus' behaviour. What she had almost said to Kairi was wrong. She was beginning to feel very afraid again, for she was sure the reason why Tidus was ignoring her was because he was very angry with her.

They did not have too far to walk along the beach towards the boats. The tide was just coming in, and it would go even further over the next few hours. It would never reach the spot where the boats were sitting. None of them moved as Tidus and Selphie pushed the boat they had used to travel together across the sea to the smaller island and back to the nearest end of the row.

Selphie let go of the boat's side, running her sad eyes slowly over the other ones. The only boat that was not present in the row was the one that was much narrower than the rest, for it was still on the smaller island with its devastated owner. Tears began to form in Selphie's eyes as she looked over the other boats, for even though they were all identical, one of them belonged to a good friend of hers, who had been diagnosed with cancer, as she had been told a few hours ago. She was very frightened of losing him - and she knew that the person who he was the closest to more than anyone else would be feeling the exact same way. Selphie gazed up towards Tidus, hoping he would notice how upset she was and say something to comfort her. The boy stood where he was in silence, letting go of the side of the boat and not turning to look at her over his shoulder. Thinking that he was now going to ignore her for the rest of the night, Selphie looked down again in misery, taking a few steps forward to walk away from him, meaning to leave the beach behind and head for her house.

"Oi! Selphie!" Tidus suddenly snapped furiously, looking up towards the girl with a red face. "What did you go and tell Kairi about Sora for?"

Freezing where she was at the sudden sound and tone of Tidus' voice, Selphie turned to look timidly over her shoulder towards him. Her eyes were filling up with tears and fear. "I thought…it was the right thing to do..."

"_SORA TOLD YOU NOT TO TELL KAIRI!" _Tidus bellowed loudly and angrily at her at the top of his voice. He waved his arms about madly, unable to realize how he was acting as he glared at her._ "HE SAID HE WOULD TELL HER HIMSELF! AND YOU STILL TOLD HER! WHY DID YOU TELL HER?_"

"I…I…" Selphie dropped her face in her hands, beginning to sob softly. She was now feeling very terrible for what she had nearly done, and she was expecting Kairi, Sora and Tidus to all hate her. "I'm sorry, Tidus…I'm so sorry…"

Realizing he had upset her, the glare and redness on Tidus' faded away as he stared at Selphie with sudden shock and regret over his own behaviour. Walking up quickly to where she was standing and sobbing, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, feeling very guilty as he closed his eyes. He could feel Selphie shaking as she hugged him back, crying bitterly. He held her tightly and stroked her soft, brown hair gently to comfort her.

* * *

There was nobody on the beach of the smaller island to comfort a crying Kairi. She lay on her front, letting the tears fall out of her eyes and onto the sand. She felt very hurt and alone over the fact that the boy she loved and had thought was her best friend did not want to see her. He was keeping something from her, and it was clear to her that he did not want her to know about.

She was dying to know what it was.

* * *

**Well, there's the newest chapter. You can expect the next one very soon, but I may have to take my time, because I need to make sure it's very good and you will all like it.**


	13. Release

**Hey, guys. I'm really sorry you've had to wait again for an update. I started writing this chapter over a week ago, but I've been going through a lot of stress lately. I thought all that would end once I left school, but so much of it has been happening to me. I dunno when it will end. :(**

**I eventually managed to get this finished. I hope it isn't horribly written.**

* * *

Over at the hospital, Sora was lying in the bed, chewing on a grape from the fruit bowl on the bedside table. He gazed out of the window, watching the sun sink with a worried expression. He was wondering if Selphie had told Kairi the truth about him. He knew Kairi was going to be very angry when he would next see her, but he was determined to face her, even if she now hated him. He was scared the cancer would kill him before he got a chance to see her again.

Nikkou was sitting in the wooden chair, stroking Sora's spiky brown hair in silence. She could tell her son was feeling troubled, but didn't feel the need to ask, as she thought it was the same reason why she was. They were both waiting for Doctor Mizu to come to the room with the results of the tests the doctors and nurses had done on Sora during his stay at the hospital. Nikkou and Sora were about to find out how deadly Sora's disease was.

The silence was broken a few minutes later as Mizu walked into the room, carrying a clipboard with a sheet of paper attracted to the front. He looked at the mother and son with a smile, trying to look cheerful – even though he could clearly tell from the mother and son's faces how worried they were when they looked up at him.

"Good evening, Sora," Mizu said with a smile. "How are you?"

Sora swallowed the grape in his mouth nervously before turning his attention to the doctor with a miserable gaze. "Worried."

"Do you have the results, Doctor?" Nikkou asked in a quick pace and a desperate tone.

Mizu's smile faded as he looked down at the sheet paper attached to the front of the clipboard. "Yes…I have them right here…"

Sora and Nikkou glanced quickly at each other before looking back up at Mizu. Their hearts raced as they wondered what Mizu was about to tell them.

"It's not as bad as we feared," whispered Mizu, closing his eyes, "but it's still rather deadly-"

Mizu was interrupted from saying anything else as both Sora and Nikkou burst into tears. They threw their arms tightly around each other and sobbed into each other's shoulders, their wails loud enough for people who were outside the room to hear and feel emotional upon hearing it all.

"_I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_" Sora cried loudly, tightening his arms around his mother.

"_I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY SON!_" Nikkou sobbed, running her fingers through her son's spiky brown hair. "_I LOST MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY!_"

Mizu could only watch as the mother and son cried in each other's arms. He felt sad watching them, sensing a true loving bond between them. He could only hope that in spite of how terrible the news he had told them was, they would calm down enough for him to finish what he had to say next.

The crying eventually came to a stop after Sora and Nikkou spend five minutes sobbing together. They gently broke the hug and wiped each other's tears away gently. Sora then turned to Mizu, looking at him with frightened teary eyes. "What do we do now?"

Mizu cleared his throat. "Well, Sora, you're going to need some treatment-"

"Treatment?" Sora replied quickly, his eyes widening in hope. "Will it cure me?"

"It could-"

"It has to!" Nikkou bellowed, getting quickly to her feet, looking at Mizu desperately. "Doctor, you have to cure my baby boy! Please-"

"Just listen." Mizu calmly raised a hand, silencing Nikkou. He glanced down at the floor, letting off a sigh, before looking back up at the mother and son. "We're going to have to get Sora to have some excisional surgery."

"_Surgery?_" Sora remarked in fear, picking up the last word of Mizu's sentence instantly. "I have to go through surgery?"

"Yes, Sora. But you do not have to be afraid of it," Mizu replied. "What we will do is perform it on your arm. You will be awake while we go through with it by removing the cancer cells from your arm. You'll be allowed to go home on the same day we perform it, which will be in exactly one week."

"One week?" Sora placed a hand to his heart as he remembered something. "A week today is my sixteenth birthday."

Mizu smiled. "Well, you'll be in here for a few hours, but if we book you in for eleven o'clock, you'll be able to go home before dark."

"How long would we have to wait until the results come back?" Nikkou asked, her eyes wide.

Mizu sighed and faced the floor. "Another week…to make sure the cancer has not spread too much from Sora's arm. If it has, then there'd be a serious problem."

"What d'you mean?" Sora cried in panic, his jaw dropping. "What would happen to me if an infection has already settled in?"

"Sora…" Mizu looked up, gazing sadly at the boy. "If the cancer has spread too much, you'd only have about two weeks to live."

"_Two weeks?" _Sora and Nikkou screamed together in unison, both bursting into tears again. They threw their arms around each other for a second time, afraid to lose each other.

Sora was shaking as he cried in Nikkou's arms. He was very frightened of dying. He was sure he would never see his mother again, he would never see his friends again – and he would never see Kairi again. "I'm going to die, Mom! I'm going to die!"

"_NO!_" Nikkou screamed, gripping her son's shoulder's to make him look at her. Tears continued to run down her cheeks. "You won't die, Sora! You'll get better! Those pills will make you better! You won't die…" Nikkou looked down as her sobs softened. "You won't…"

Sora tightened his arms around Nikkou and rubbed her back gently. He was feeling frightened and ashamed. He knew it was his own laziness which had given him the disease and it had affected all the people who cared about him. He did not know whether Kairi knew yet or not, but he knew he would have to see her as soon as he was released from hospital. If he was only going to be alive for two more weeks, he would have to see Kairi during that time before he would leave her – for good.

"You are free to leave from hospital now," Mizu murmured quietly. "I'm sure you probably don't feel like driving, Nikkou. Would you like to take one of our buses? You could leave your car keys with security. They'll drop your car off at your place in the morning."

Nikkou reached up to wipe away her tears. "Yes please. Thank you, Doctor."

* * *

Sora was later sitting in the seat of the white coach that was making its way to his house, driving along the main road, several vehicles racing alongside in the opposite direction. Nikkou sat in silence next to her son, her arm around his shoulders. As Sora watched the traffic race past the coach, Nikkou looked around at the other patients that were sitting in the cotton seats. Some of them were wearing lots of bandages whilst others were reaching into their pockets to take out packets of pills to take. Although not all of them had visible medical conditions, Nikkou was sure that none of them had anything as deadly as her son's disease and they would all be healthy again before they knew it.

The driver of the coach steered the long vehicle around and corner and down the street where Sora lived. As it began to slow down, Sora gazed out of the window he was sitting by - spotting Riku standing outside his house on the sidewalk. Surprised to see him, Sora sat up quickly and looked down at Riku with wide eyes.

Once the driver had bought the coach to a stop, the door at the front of the left side let off a hiss as it swung open. Nikkou glanced at Sora before getting to her feet and walked down the aisle of the coach. Sora stood up and dragged his feet as he walked along behind her. Although he was feeling a little better at the thought of being home, he was very upset over the fact he could not leave the deadly disease back at the hospital. Wherever he would go, he would have to take it with him.

"Sora!" Riku exclaimed as he spotted his friend walking behind Nikkou down the steps of the coach. He was surprised to see his friend had returned from the hospital.

As soon as Sora had stepped onto the concrete (which he was looking down miserably at), the door closed behind him and the engine of the coach roared to life. The large, white vehicle began to move slowly down the road away from the boy's house. It picked up speed as it approached the T junction at the end of the street, stopping there for a few seconds for the driver to glance both ways before driving down the left. Despite disappearing out of sight, the coach's roaring engine could still be heard for a few seconds before eventually becoming inaudible.

"You've been release from hospital, Sora?" Riku asked his best friend curiously, raising his eyebrows.

Sora looked up from the concrete to sadly face Nikkou. "Mom, could me and Riku have a little time to ourselves here?"

"Of course, Sora," Nikkou answered with a nod, taking a set of keys out of her pocket and walking down her short garden path towards the door of the house. Sora and Riku watched as she unlocked the front door, which she quickly disappeared through and closed behind her.

"Sora!"

Both boys jumped when they heard two voices address the fifteen-year old boy loudly in unison. They both turned to see Tidus and Selphie come running down the street, stopping in front of them. The two fourteen-year olds looked up at Sora with surprised expressions.

Sora smiled sadly at the two of them. "Hey, guys. I'm finally home now."

"And what did the doctors say to you?" Selphie squeaked, her green eyes widening in desperation.

"Yeah, what did they say, Sora?" Riku put in quickly.

Sora looked around slowly at his three friends, his eyes tearing up again. "The doctor told me that in a week's time, I have to go through surgery.

"Surgery?" Riku remarked, quickly becoming very shocked at what Sora had told him. "What sort of surgery?"

"The doctor said it's excisional surgery. I'll be awake while the doctors will be removing the cancer cell from my arm."

"So you can get better?" Selphie squealed hopefully, her eyes shining as she wanted Sora to give her the only answer that would make her feel better.

Sora let out a sob and looked down at his feet. "Not if the cancer has spread too much, Selphie. If it already has…I will only have two weeks left to live."

"_Two weeks left to live?_" Upon hearing this, Selphie broke down into tears, holding her face in her hands. The answer Sora had given her was what she had been dreading since Riku had told her about his condition the day before. To lose one of her friends would be horrible, and the fact that it would possibly happen made her do nothing but sob in all her fear and devastation.

Riku and Tidus looked at Sora in alarm, unable to believe what they had heard. Both of them let a tear leak out of their eyes. What they had just been told was just as hard for them to take in as it was for Selphie. They were very shocked and absolutely heartbroken over hearing from the boy standing in front of them, who was their close friend, that he could leave them all in two weeks, never to be seen again.

Sora gave a small sigh, which was followed by a sniff as he looked up from his feet to gaze around at them all. "Have any of you seen Kairi today?"

Tidus came out of his shocked state upon hearing the question and ran a hand through his hair. "Um…she's on the smaller island."

Selphie stopped sobbing and lowered her hands slowly from her eyes, which were still full of tears. She looked up at Sora, feeling frightened and guilty. "I…almost told her where you were, Sora. I didn't actually say, and I didn't tell her what you're going though. I'm really, really sorry."

"It's okay, Selphie," Sora told her quietly, not feeling angry towards her at all. He was just glad Selphie had not given Kairi any hints about his condition. It was something he was determined to tell the red-haired girl himself – and the time to tell her had now come, no matter how angry she was with him. He began to walk away from his friends and down the sidewalk.

Riku's mouth fell open with slight confusion as he watched his friend begin to walk away. "Where are you going, Sora?"

Sora stopped and turned to look over his shoulder towards the three of them, his face filled with deep sadness. "To finally tell Kairi why I haven't been there for her…and why I may never be there again. I'll see you, guys."

Riku, Tidus and Selphie all watched with lumps in their throats as Sora disappeared down the sidewalk and at the right corner at the end to find Kairi and tell her the news which they all knew would break her heart. It was clear to them that she would be devastated to hear that the boy she loved would probably be leaving her forever, as she would not want to lose Sora any more than he wanted to leave her.

* * *

**You can obviously tell from the end of this chapter what the next one will be about: what you've all been waiting for. When will it come? I don't know. But I'll have to try hard to get it done soon and do a good job.**


	14. Confession & Promise

**Well, I managed to get the chapter you've all been waiting for done sooner than I thought, and I'm very glad - especially due to an unfortunate reason which will be explained after this chapter. :(**

**I hope this is worth your wait.**

* * *

Sora's heart was racing as he rowed his boat through the sea, passing the hillside on the edge of the smaller island while gazing out towards the horizon. He was feeling very nervous. In a few moments, he would be on the beach of the island, where he would see the girl he loved, who he had broken a promise to. He was about to tell her the terrible news that he was very likely to leave her again, never to return. Kairi would probably hate him even more after he told her, but that would not stop him from always loving her, even when he would leave her. He just hoped she would be safe without him, although he was unsure if she would ever be happy again.

As the boat floated along the waves, passing the end of the smaller island, Sora turned to look towards the pier – and his face filled up with sadness as he saw Kairi's narrow boat, still tied to it. It had most likely been there for hours, as he guessed that the girl had decided earlier to do what he had told her to do on the day before: wait to meet up with him so that they could both go and have a wonderful day that was supposed to be so much fun for the two of them. Sora knew that the day before had been just as upsetting for Kairi as it had been for him. While he had been told he had cancer, she had been waiting all day on the small island for him to arrive, only for the entire day to be wasted and her to never see him. This day had brought much worse news for the two of them, for Kairi had learnt that Sora was keeping something from her as he had been told by Doctor Mizu that if his cancer spread, he would only have two weeks left to live.

Sora looked down unhappily as he started to row with only his right hand. His boat rotated in the water, its front end turning slowly towards where the island was. As he raised his head to look up ahead, Sora kept the girl's boat in his sight as he took in the entire pier from its rear end to the front. Rowing with both oars once again, his boat was soon gliding smoothly across the water towards the pier. He stopped in front of it once his boat was right on the port side of Kairi's, the wooden ladder he had to climb to get onto the pier in between them.

The boy placed his oars down onto the base before crawling over to the front of his boat, grabbing the rope that was hanging from the pier's leg that was in front of him. He had started to tie the free end to the boat's bow when he suddenly heard a soft sound that came from the other side of the pier which made him freeze, stunned. Perking up his ears to listen, his heart sank when he realized what it was: crying. He instantly knew who it was, but was unsure whether she was crying because of him suddenly disappearing without telling her or if it was because Selphie had told her that he was keeping a secret from her. Sora took a deep breath, bracing himself to face up to all of the hurt and sadness he had caused for Kairi.

The crying still reaching his ears, Sora took hold of the left side of the ladder with his left hand, placing his left foot down dully onto the bottom wooden rung. Once his left foot was joined by his right one and his right hand had firmly grabbed the other side of the ladder, he began to climb, the stress he was going through racing through his head much faster. Sora raised his head to look up at the orange sky as he continued to climb upwards. The deep colour it was matched how it often looked during most sunsets, and he knew that he and Kairi would have loved to admire the beautiful sight of it at the end of the fun-filled day they were supposed to have. He turned to his right as he climbed on, frowning with slightly teary eyes towards the sun, which was just starting to sink behind the horizon. He was not blaming the sun for giving him cancer. The blame could only be given to him, as he had been so lazy and idiotic, not thinking at all about the danger of sleeping under the sun. Learning this now was not doing him any good, as it still meant he would probably have to leave behind his mother, his friends and the girl he loved for ever.

Sora made it to the top of the ladder and pulled himself up to stand on top of the pier. The sound of crying was now even clearer, and could now be heard coming directly from the beach. Gazing down worriedly towards it, Sora raised one of his feet, putting it before the other as he walked away from the top of the ladder and to the other side of the pier. He took in the metres of yellow sandy space which was coming into his sight – and suddenly stopped in his tracks when he spotted, to his increasing sadness, a fifteen-year old girl with shoulder-length red hair, dressed in a pink mini-dress, white halter top and purple trainers, lying on her front, sobbing her heart out into the sand. Seeing Kairi cry tore Sora apart, and he felt even more terrible knowing he had been the one to make her do it. Whenever he saw her in tears, he would always wipe them away while hugging her and trying his best to make her feel better. This was something he would not be able to do for her this time. It was not likely that Kairi would let him – and he was about to cause her to let out even more sobs and tears.

Keeping his narrow eyes down towards the crying girl, Sora walked slowly along the pier towards where the steps that led to the sand were. The soles of his large boots clumped against the wooden surface, and he thought they would attract Kairi's attention and make her look up towards him. Her face remained hidden as her crying went on while Sora made his way to the steps, which he quickly walked down to stand on the sand. From where he stood, he stared in his sadness towards where Kairi was lying on her front, sniffling a little bit.

Trembling a little bit as his nervousness grew, Sora walked towards where Kairi was, stopping when he was standing over her. He looked down at the girl. She did not seem to realize he was there as she continued to let her tears fall out of her eyes and onto the sand.

"Kairi…"

The sobbing instantly stopped and Kairi went silent. For a few seconds, it appeared she had frozen, for she did not budge an inch. It made Sora's heart race even faster. The way the girl had reacted to hearing him say her name frightening him even more.

Kairi suddenly looked up from the sand to face the boy. Her jaw dropped at the sight of him and her eyes widened in disbelief. The tears that had been leaking out of her eyes were continuing to race down her soft cheeks as she stared up at Sora in shock – not noticing at all how badly sunburnt he was. "_SORA!_"

Angrily lunching herself at him, Kairi knocked Sora off his feet, making him land onto his back, hurting himself. Before the horrified boy could pick himself up, Kairi dropped herself down onto her knees next to him, gripping the front of his jacket tightly to make him look up into her teary eyes. "_YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE! YOU SAID YOU'D BE HERE!_"

"Kairi, I-"

"_YOU TOLD ME THE TWO OF US WOULD HAVE A FUN DAY TOGETHER!_" The tears that were running down Kairi's cheeks were falling even faster. The sadness that had been used to make them was now mixed with anger. "_YOU PROMISED ME, SORA! YOU PROMISED!_"

"I know, Kairi, but-"

"_AND I WAS WAITING FOR YOU, ALL DAY YESTERDAY AND TODAY!" _Kairi pointed out angrily with her left hand to the edge of the shore, her wide blue eyes still fixed to the frightened boy and her right hand still gripping his jacket tightly. "_JUST LIKE HOW I WAS WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU LEFT THE ISLANDS! ONLY THIS TIME, YOU DIDN'T KEEP YOUR PROMISE!_"

"I know, Kairi. I'm sorry-"

"_YOU'VE NEVER BROKEN A PROMISE TO ME, SORA!_" Kairi reached up with her free hand to angrily wipe her tears away, but she held her glare down at Sora. "_NEVER!_"

Sora sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the sand. As he had already guessed, Kairi was very angry at him for letting her down. He wished he had taken her out more often when he had returned to Destiny Islands. Not only would she not have angry towards him, but as his time would not have been spent sleeping on the beach, he would not have caught cancer and have to tell her the news of him having to leave her again.

"So where were you?" Kairi bellowed with the hard glare still on her face as she stood up on her feet. She had managed to calm down a little bit, but her tone was still loud enough to let Sora know she was very angry with him.

Sora slowly opened his worried eyes as he sat up before getting to his feet, brishing the sand off his clothes. He gazed fearfully at the girl he was in front of, noticing how hard she was glaring at him. "I went to the hospital."

"The _hospital_?" Kairi hissed irritatedly, thinking Sora was just making up excuses. "Why did you have to go to the hospital? You were alright when I last saw you. Not surprisingly, when I last saw you, you were asleep."

"And I wish I hadn't been sleeping, Kairi," Sora sighed deeply, turning to face the waves that were gently washing onto the shore. "I wish I hadn't spent my days being back home sleeping on the beach. I wish I had spent them with you."

Kairi snickered and shook her head. The words the boy had said were not going to make her forgive him. "It's too late for that now, you lazy bum."

"Yes…" Sora whispered quietly, closing his eyes. "Too late…"

"So why did you have to go to the hospital?"

Sora slowly opened his eyes. He cautiously turned his head to face Kairi again, preparing himself to tell her what he had been informed of while he had been at the hospital. "The day when we last say each other…when I fell asleep…I caught a sunburn-"

Kairi interrupted Sora by bursting into loud laughter. "Oh, Sora! You've always been a lazy bum, but now you're making a drama out of little things! Going to the hospital for a sunburn? Boy, I sure was wrong about you! I thought you were tougher than that! You're supposed to be a Keyblade Master! I thought you were a tough and strong hero! But I was wrong about that, same as I was wrong about you always keeping your promises! You're certainly not tough and strong, if you go to hospital, just because you had a little sunburn-"

"_I'VE GOT CANCER, KAIRI!_" Sora blurted out to her loudly, unable to hold in what he needed to tell her for any longer.

Kairi stopped in mid-sentence instantly upon hearing what Sora had bellowed to her. A hard appeared on the face as she looked at the boy, already having troubling taking in what he had just told her. "What?"

Gazing at the girl with sudden shock as he realized hr had said the words he had been worrying about tell her in such a loud tone, Sora's mouth hung open slightly. Closing it up, he gazed down at his feet, giving a sad sigh. "I've got cancer.

"No!" Kairi eyes widened and she shook her head rapidly. She tried hard to hold her frown, but it was difficult to do so, since what Sora had told her was so terrible. She did not want it to be true "No you don't!"

"I do, Kairi." Sora slowly rose to face Kairi. The girl's reaction was as upsetting as he had expected. "I have cancer."

"_NO YOU DON'T, SORA!_"

"I do, Kairi. The doctor told me that I have cancer, which could kill me in two weeks."

"_NO! NO!_"

Sighing, Sora looked away from the panicking girl to gaze at the short sleeve of his jacket that covered most of his upper arm. He took hold of the sleeve in his left hand, but then hesitated, wondering if he should upset the girl even further. His wondering only lasted a second, however, as he knew it was the only way to get her to believe his story of why he had been at the hospital. Sora turned back to look at Kairi, pulling his right sleeve up to show her the ugly lump that had grown onto his arm.

At the sight of the lump, Kairi immediately let out a loud, horrified gasp. It was something she had been afraid Sora would show her, and seeing it now told her that what he was telling her was true She clasped both of her hands to her mouth, which had fallen open, as her blue eyes that were fixed to the lump widened. "_NO, NO, NO!"_

"Kairi-"

"_NOOOOO!"_ Kairi threw herself to the ground and landed back onto her front, bursting into tears and letting out much louder sobs onto the sound. She could not believe or take in what Sora had told her. The boy who she loved more than anything in the world had caught cancer. If he lost his life, her own one would be unbearable with no chance of ever being happy again. Since falling in love with Sora, Kairi had never wanted to lose him. Being told that she could in two weeks made her feel scared, horrified, heartbroken and devastated. All she wanted was the boy to hug her and tell her he would be alright.

Sora could feel his own heart breaking as he looked down sadly at Kairi, watching her cry hysterically. He thought with a large amount of dread of how it was his own laziness that had put the girl he loved through so much hurt. There was now a huge chance he would only be with her for two weeks. He did not know if she would let him make it up to her as he was sure she now hated him even more than when he had not turned up to meet her.

To Sora's surprise, Kairi jumped up and leapt at him again - but this time, she threw her arms tightly around him. Afraid of losing him for good, she hugged him tight, sobbing bitterly as she buried her face into his right shoulder. "Why did you have to get cancer?"

Sora closed his eyes in shame as he hugged the girl he loved back, giving her shelter and security. He just wanted to hold onto her forever and make sure she was alright, but he knew she would not be now. "Because I'm just a lazy bum, as you keep reminding me."

_That's right, Sora. You're a lazy bum,_ Kairi thought, giving a small sniff with a nod. _A lazy bum who I love so much and cannot lose_.

Sighing, Sora reaching up to gently stroke the girl's red hair. He realized how soft Kairi's hair was and did not feel like anyone else's. He knew the reason for that was because Kairi was like no other person. She was very special to him, which was why he loved her so much and never wanted her to cry or be upset – as she was now.

"Yes, you're a lazy bum – and you're my best friend." Kairi told Sora in a trembling voice, looking up at him with eyes that were full of more tears than before. "I can't lose you, Sora. I just can't."

Sora looked back down at Kairi in misery, placing both of his hands on her soft cheeks. Using his thumbs, he gently wiped away the tears that were leaking out of her amazing blue eyes znd down her cheeks. "I can't lose you either, Kairi. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you."

Giving another sniff, Kairi looked down at her feet. She did not answer the boy.

"That's why I'm going to be here for you now."

"Huh?" Kairi quickly looked up from her feet to stare at Sora with confusion. Not understanding why he was saying what he had just told her, she shook her head at him. "You can't, Sora. You said the cancer could kill you in two weeks."

"Yes, two weeks." Sora places his hands onto Kairi's shoulders and massaged them gently. "And I want to spend those two weeks with you."

"You do?" Kairi's eyes widened as she gazed up at Sora, unable to believe what she had heard. "You wanna spend them with _me_?"

"Yes, Kairi," Sora nodded, continuing to massage the girl's shoulders as he gazed back down at her. "I want to spend my last few days with you."

Kairi looked down again, placing her hand onto her heart. Although it was feel broken from all the hurt that Sora had piled onto her, she could feel it slightly starting to fill up with new hope. Kairi was feeling very distraught that the boy she loved could possibly die in two weeks - but she was also feeling very moved that he was willing to spend his possible final days with her.

"I want us to make the most of our time together," Sora told her solemnly, hoping she would allow him to try to spend his last days of life trying to make her happy. "I will have to spend a lot of time with Mom, since I will be leaving her as well. But I want to make up for not being there for you. If I'm going to die in two weeks, then I promise to spend all the time I can with you." "I _will _keep that promise, Kairi."

As she gazed up at Sora again, a small tear rolled down Kairi's cheek. A tiny smile slowly appeared on her face, as she knew Sora meant every word of what he was telling her. "I know you will."

"Sora! Are you out here?"

Sora eyes suddenly widened at the sound of his mother's voice, which was coming from nearby. It seemed as though she had come looking for him, but he was very puzzled as to how and why she had come to the smaller island, since she was one of the many adult residents who hardly ever travelled across the sea to visit it. He turned towards the pier, now realizing that the sun had gone down, since the orange evening sky had been replaced by a deep blue one of the night. A huge beam of light was being shot from the side of the pier they could not see. It was lighting up the entire wooden structure, casting a shadow of it onto the sand.

"Sora?" Nikkou's voice be heard calling in hope from behind the pier. "Are you there?"

Sora turned back to Kairi, frightened of leaving her, even if it was just to go home. He pulled the girl into a tight hug, afraid of how she would feel if he left her. "I don't wanna go home, Kairi. I want to stay with you!"

Kairi smiled sadly and hugged Sora back supportively. She rubbed his back gently. "Go home, Sora. You need to be with your Mom."

"Sora, are you-" Nikkou began to call out as she climbed off the top of the ladder and stepped up onto the pier. As she looked down towards the beach, her jaw dropped in surprise when she spotted her son standing, locked in an embrace with Kairi. A full moon was up in the sky, reflected in the dark blue ocean and shining its light down towards the beach to allow Nikkou to clearly see her son hugging the girl he was best friends with.

She smiled softly, realizing how much her son cared about the girl and thinking of how proud she was to be his mother, as she walked along the pier towards the staircase. She quickly descended the steps, making her way along the sand towards the embracing teenagers. It made her proud to be his mother. "Hello, Kairi."

Kairi gently broke the hug as she heard Nikkou's voice close to them. She spotted the boy's mother walking towards them and smiled softly at her. Nikkou was a person who Kairi saw almost as often as she saw Sora, since she was the boy's best friend and visited his house regularly. "Hello, Nikkou."

Now feeling insecure, since Kairi was no longer hugging him, Sora turned to look over his shoulder with a depressed expression to see his mother walk over to them and stand with them. He was not surprised she was not taking in the sights of the smaller island as if she had not seen them before. The few times when she ever did travel there was just to find him. "How did you get here, Mom? You hardly ever row across the sea, and I didn't think you'd be able to do it at night."

"I saw Riku in our street with Tidus and Selphie and asked him where you were," Nikkou explained, turning towards her son. "He said you were her and told me I could borrow his boat, since he always keeps a flashlight inside it."

"Nikkou, Sora told me-" Kairi began, about to tell Nikkou what Sora had explained to her, but stopped herself as her eyes narrowed, filled with sadness as she thought about what the boy was going through. She gazed up worriedly at his mother, knowing that she would have been devastated when her son had been told he had cancer. "Are…are you okay?"

Nikkou gazed towards Kairi sadly. She guessed that the reason why Sora had rowed to the smaller island was in search of Kairi to tell her the terrible news they had received the day before. She was sure that the girl, who was always very polite to her whenever she was at her house, had very been upset when she had heard the news from her son. Although it was always Sora who always there for her in very troubling times to make her feel better, Nikkou never wanted her to be sad, either. She shot Kairi a small smile which still had clear sadness, but was meant to try to make her feel better. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you, Kairi. Sora is going to get better. He will defeat the cancer. I just know it."

Sora was listening to what his mother was saying with a small, worried stare. He did not know if what his mother was saying would actually happen. He was determined to defeat the cancer and stop it from taking him away from Kairi, but he knew there was still a huge chance it could reach a point where it would never be beaten. The fear of being unable to be cured of the cancer and dying would be carried everywhere with him, and he knew that he had put this into Kairi's mind, as well. He turned to look at her, shooting her the same stare to show her that he was worried about her. She just gazed up back at him, giving him a very small smile.

Reaching up with his left hand to run it through his hair, Sora turned to his mother again, knowing that he would need her permission to spend some of the small amount of time he possibly had left with the girl. "Mom…would it be okay if I spent some time with Kairi during the next two weeks? Only I haven't really been there much for her…but I promised to now."

The soft smile still on her face, Nikkou looked back at her son. She knew he would want to spend a lot of time with Kairi, which she did not mind at all. She felt very pleased that he wanted to try and be there for a girl to make her happy. "Yes, Sora. You may spend plenty of time with Kairi."

Happiness grew quickly inside Sora, as he was so relieved that his mother was not going to stop him from keeping his promise to Kairi. He ran up to his mother, throwing his arms around her to give her a loving hug. "Thanks, Mom. I'll spend lots of time with you, too."

Kairi watched with a smile as Nikkou hugged her son back gently. The girl thought it was truly wonderful how much the mother and son loved each other so much. She knew Nikkou was very proud to have a son so caring, kind and always willing to put others before himself. Kairi had learnt that about Sora within the early days of their friendship, and along with many other facts about him, they had eventually led her to be in love with him.

Gently breaking the hug, Nikkou looked at Sora while holding her smile. "But now, Sora, you're going to have to come home now. It's getting late."

Sora's grin faded and he turned worriedly to Kairi again. He was still very scared to leave her. All he wanted to do was to be by her side for the rest of his life.

Kairi smiled softly at Sora, sensing his troubled thoughts about her. "Go home, Sora. It's getting late. You need to get plenty of rest."

"But, Kairi-"

"Don't worry about me." Kairi turned to look up at the moon, which was now high up in the sky filled of thousands of bright stars. "I'm okay, Sora."

Taking a few steps towards her, Sora reached out of gently take hold of Kairi's right hand in both of his. He smiled softly at her, knowing she would now believe every word of what he was going to tell her. "Starting from tomorrow, the two of us are going to have two fun, wonderful weeks. I will be there for you, Kairi. I promise."

Kairi looked down in surprise at her hand in between both of Sora's her cheeks turning a light shade of red. Hearing what the boy had told her, she gazed up at him, smiling back softly. "I know, Sora.."

With a soft grin, Sora gave Kairi's hand a quick squeeze before letting go. He took a few steps backwards to stand to Nikkou's right side, unable to look away from Kairi or take the smile off his face. "Goodnight, Kairi."

"Goodnight, Sora. I'll see you tomorrow," replied Kairi, holding her smile. She turned to Nikkou, hoping she would be able to sleep during the night instead of staying awake and fretting over Sora's condition. "Goodnight, Nikkou."

"Goodnight, Kairi," Nikkou replied, smiling back at Kairi before turning around and leading Sora up towards the wooden steps that led up to the pier, which was still light up brightly by the flashlight on Riku's boat. Hearing her son make a wonderful promise he intended to keep to his best friend had cheered Nikkou up a lot, and she felt sure she was going to enjoy rowing back to the main island under the full moon up in the sky.

Kairi watched with eyes that were beginning to fill with worry and fear as Sora followed his mother up the steps. The happiness she had been giving from the thought of the promise could not stop her from feeling a little scared. Seeing him walk away reminded her that in two weeks, it was likely he would depart from her life and never come back.

As Nikkou walked along the pier to find the ladder that would lead her down to the boats, Sora stood at the stop of the steps, looking down towards where Kairi stood. The strong moonlight allowed her to see the large grin on the boy's face and his soft blue eyes. Kairi grinned back up towards him, thinking of how kind Sora was, how handsome he looked and how much she loved him.

Managing at last to turn away from the girl, Sora stomped his feet along the pier to where the ladder was on the opposite side, which his mother had just disappeared down. He looked down as he carefully placed his feet onto the top rung, taking hold of the two sides that were sticking up over the side of the pier. He looked up towards Kairi to grin at her for a final time that night before disappearing from sight as he climbed down the ladder to get into his boat.

As the sound of Sora's feet going down each of the ladder's rungs reached her ears, Kairi instantly turned away and stared up at the moon. She reached up with her left hand to place it gently onto her heart. It was still hard for her to believe that Sora had cancer. A few tears leaked out of Kairi's eyes. She knew that if Sora left her, she would never be happy again.

Kairi turned to look towards the pier again. A few splashes could be heard coming from the other side and the strong beam of light that was being cast onto it from the flashlight on Riku's boat was moving slowly away from it. The girl managed to bring a small smile to her face as she thought about what Sora had promised her. He was willing to spend the next two weeks with her, and the two of them would have lots of fun together - just like they always used to.

More tears leaked out of Kairi's eyes as she gazed back up at the moon with her hand still on her heart. They were the first tears of happiness she had bought out that night, as she was feeling very touched by Sora's serious promise, which managed to make her so happy.

She knew he was going to keep it.

* * *

**I hope you all liked this - but I'm afraid you're not going to like what I'm going to say next. :(**

**Later on this month, we're changing over Internet providers, which means I'll be without the Internet for a while, meaning during that time, I can't update. :( I'm really sorry about this, guys. It's not fair on you, because you keep having to wait long for me to update and you'll have to wait again. :(**

**Until we lose the Internet, I will use whatever chance I get to update this, then while I'm waiting for it to come back, I will still try to write as much as I can, so that when we get it back, hopefully, I'll have a good number chapters written by then, all ready for you to read. I feel I really owe you, guys, because you keep having to put up with long waits for updates, but you don't give up on this. Know that I will keep writing until the end and that I am very grateful for you all being very loyal to my story having something nice to say. :D**


	15. Forgiveness

**Here's chapter fifteen - which, like the last chapter, was written sooner than I thought it would be - thank goodness. :P**

* * *

Kairi slowly opened her amazing blue eyes.

She found herself in her bedroom, lying on top of the pink duvet of her bed, still wearing her mini-dress and shoes. She couldn't remember returning to her room the night before. All she remembered was looking up at the full moon and the promise Sora made to her.

Smiling, Kairi sat up and stretched with a soft yawn. She ran her right hand through her hair, which somehow managed to stay straight when she was lying down. Getting to her feet, Kairi walked towards the white door at the end of the wall on her right. Her shoes made no sound as she walked along the purple woollen carpet. All four walls of her room were painted pink. A wooden desk and chair stood opposite the door.

Hanging on the wall above the desk was a framed picture of a much younger Kairi, standing on the beach of Destiny Islands, facing away from the sea. Her hair was much shorter and she was wearing her old clothes; a white tank top, a purple skirt and purple and white shoes, as well as a yellow wrist band and purple arm band on her left arm and two bracelets (one yellow, the other black) on her right wrist. All that had stayed the same about Kairi between that time and the present was the necklace around her neck, her bright blue eyes, her kind and caring personality and her sweet smile.

Disappearing out of the door of the room, Kairi walked through a corridor that had walls that were painted sky blue. She walked along the dark blue cotton carpet before coming to a staircase, which she proceeded to walk down, finding herself in a large living room. A richly coloured red couch was up against the rear wall with a large matching rug in front of it. On the right side of the couch was a small wooden table with a telephone on top of it. A large hearth was built into the wall opposite the couch, with a metal pot on its left side, used for carrying its pokers. To the right side of the hearth was a huge flat screen television. A doorway was on the right wall, leading to the kitchen.

Kairi collapsed into the couch. She was not surprised in the least to find that she was all alone in the house. It was very rare when her adoptive father – the mayor of Destiny Islands – ever had time to be home and spend time with her. That was why Kairi hardly ever stayed at her house and would go out to spend time with her friends. They always made sure that she would not feel alone. Kairi smiled, realizing how grateful she was to have good friends.

It was then she suddenly remembered how she had almost gone out of control when Selphie had accidently admitted to knowing where Sora was and Tidus had made it clear that they were not supposed to tell her. Kairi sadly looked down at her feet. Although she felt upset over the fact her friends were keeping something from her she needed to know, she wondered if there was a reason behind it. She felt guilty about how she had been angry with them and remembered Selphie's frightened expression when she had chased them. Kairi shivered, worried that Selphie was now afraid of her and hated her. The giggly and bubbly fourteen-year old had always been a good friend to Kairi, always managing to clear her up whenever she had felt lonely while she had been waiting for Sora. Kairi was afraid to lose a friend like Selphie, as well as Tidus, who had also been good to her.

Deciding what to do, Kairi picked up the receiver of the telephone. She dialled the number of Selphie's house, then held the receiver to her ear and listened to the ringing until she heard Mrs Tilmitt answer. "Hello?"

"Hello? Mrs Tilmitt? It's Kairi. Is Selphie there?"

"Oh, hello, Kairi. Yes, Selphie is here. I'll go get her for you now."

Kairi's hands shook as she listened to the silence which followed. She guessed that Mrs Tilmitt had not been informed about how angry she had been with her daughter, but she was worried about what Selphie would do. Would she tell her mother? Would she speak to Kairi? What would she say? The questions raced in Kairi's head. She grew more and more afraid, knowing she was about to meet the answers.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a quiet voice full of fear spoke on the other end of the line. "Hello? Kairi?"

Kairi froze, hearing the fear in Selphie's voice. She took a few deep breaths before speaking, trying to sound cheerful and friendly. "Hello, Selphie. How are you?"

"I'm…I'm fine." Selphie's voice was now full of confusion, as well as fear.

"Good, good. Well, listen…could you come over to my place please?"

"Why?" The fear in Selphie's voice rose.

"I…need to speak to you." Kairi looked down at her feet. She could tell Selphie was afraid of her, but she badly wanted to apologise to her in person. "Oh, and is Tidus with you?"

"Yes. He stayed the night."

"Could he come as well?"

Silence came again. Not a sound came from Selphie, which frightened Kairi. She began to doubt if Selphie would give her a chance to apologise, although she did not blame her. Kairi began to think she did not deserve to have friends.

"We'll be there soon," Selphie suddenly said.

Kairi's eyes widened with surprise. She smiled softly, but before she could thank Selphie, there was a click as the fourteen-year old hung up. Kairi's smile faded. She knew Selphie was defiantly not happy with her, but she was glad she was at least giving her a chance, even if it didn't mean they would be friends again.

As she put the receiver down, Kairi felt her stomach growl. She pressed a hand to it, realizing she had not had any breakfast. Getting to her feet, she walked through the doorway to the kitchen, which had a black and white tiled floor, cream-coloured walls, a fridge, cooker, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher and cupboard lined up against the wall on the right and a wooden table with four chairs on the left. A round clock on the wall on the left told Kairi the time was ten past twelve, which surprised her, as she didn't realize how late she had slept. Feeling her stomach growl again, Kairi went over to the fridge, opened it and pulled out a carton of eggs to make herself a late breakfast.

* * *

Forty minutes later, as Kairi was finishing off her fried egg, she froze upon hearing the sound of the doorbell ring. Her hands shook, causing her to drop the fork she was using, making it land on the tiled floor with a clang. Quickly she reached down and picked it up to place it back onto her plate. She then picked up the plate and the cup she had used to drink her tea from, walked over to the dish washer, opened it up and placed the plate and cup inside.

After closing up the dishwasher, Kairi brushed her mini-dress down before hurrying into the living room, hearing the doorbell ring again. "I'm coming."

With a shaky hand, Kairi took hold of the handle of the front door, then slowly pulled it open. Standing on the porch step was a trembling Selphie, looking up at Kairi with frightened green eyes. Tidus was standing on her left side, his arm around her shoulders. He was looking at Kairi with a frown, but the fear was visible in his eyes.

Kairi put on a small smile, taking a few steps back. "Hey, guys. C'mon in."

Tidus and Selphie looked at each other silently, both feeling scared and confused. They turned back to Kairi and slowly walked into the living room. Tidus kept his arm around Selphie.

Kairi closed the door and gestured towards the couch, holding her smile. "Have a seat."

Slowly, Tidus and Selphie walked towards the couch before sinking into it. Kairi walked over to it and sat down on Selphie's right side. She looked at the two fourteen-year olds with her smile, but when they did not smile back, she looked down at her feet, her smile fading.

"What did…you want us for, Kairi?" Selphie asked in a quiet voice.

Kairi felt her eyes beginning to tear up. "I found out about Sora…I found out…that he was in hospital…and…I found out…he's…got…"

Before she could stop herself, Kairi began to sob softly, burying her face in her hands. Selphie and Tidus watched with pained expressions, realizing how heartbroken Kairi was over the fact she could lose Sora. Hating to see her friend cry, Selphie reached up with her right hand to gently rub Kairi's back. A tear ran down the fourteen-year old girl's cheek. She felt her heart being tugged at as she watched her friend cry, knowing how much Sora meant to Kairi.

Kairi wiped away her tears and pulled her hands away before turning to the two fourteen-year olds. "I'm sorry I was angry with the two of you."

"It's okay, Kairi." Selphie sniffled, continuing to gently rub her friend's back. "You just wanted to know where Sora was."

"Why did Sora want to keep the reason why he had to go to hospital away from me?" asked Kairi, placing a hand on her heart.

"He didn't want to keep it from you," replied Tidus. "He just felt he needed to be the one to tell you. He told us about how he was supposed to take you out two days ago, but couldn't, as he was rushed into hospital. He knew you would not be happy with him, so he felt that the reason why he was in hospital was something he needed to tell you himself, not someone else."

Kairi sniffled and nodded, giving Tidus a small smile. "I understand, Tidus."

"So, he told you then?" Selphie asked.

"Yes, Selphie. He told me – and he made a promise to me."

"What promise?" Selphie and Tidus asked in unison, both raising their eyebrows.

Kairi smiled. "He promised me that during these next two weeks, we are gonna spend a lot of time together. He wants to make up for letting me down so much. I just know that these next two weeks are gonna be a lot of fun – just me and Sora."

As Selphie and Tidus shared a smile, both knowing that Sora would keep his promise, the telephone rang, taking all three of them by surprise. Kairi reached out with her right hand to pick up the receiver and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Kairi."

Kairi gasped with a wide smile, recognising the voice instantly. Her blue eyes lit up with delight. "Sora!"

"Listen, are you doing anything tonight?"

Kairi shook her head, her smile widening. "No, Sora. I'm not doing anything at all."

"Good. At seven o'clock, be ready."

"Be ready?" Kairi raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What for?"

"A surprise. That's all I'm saying. So be ready, Kairi." With that, there was a click as Sora hung up.

Kairi kept the receiver to her ear, questions racing in her mind. She knew that she and Sora were going to spend the upcoming fortnight together, but what he had planned for that evening, she had no idea. It made her feel confused, but excited.

"What did Sora say?" Selphie squealed, a wide grin of excitement on her face.

Kairi turned to Selphie and placed the receiver down. She gave her friend a small smile. "He just said to be ready, because he has a surprise for me."

"Ooh, a surprise!" Selphie squealed even louder. "What is it?"

"Well, Sora wouldn't have told Kairi, Selphie," laughed Tidus, rubbing the fourteen-year old girl's back, smiling at her excitement.

Kairi giggled with a nod. "That's right, Selphie. He didn't tell me. But I can't wait to find out what it is."

"Well, we'll leave you to get ready then," Selphie grinned, taking hold of Tidus' left hand. "C'mon, Tidus."

"Alright." Tidus got to his feet, pulling Selphie to her's. He smiled at Kairi and raised his right hand. "Bye, Kairi. Have a good time with Sora."

"I know you will!" Selphie giggled, jumping up and down on the spot. "Enjoy the surprise – and make sure you tell me all about it!"

"I will." Kairi smiled, walking over the front door. She pulled it open and held it for Selphie and Tidus. "Thanks for coming, you guys. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Kairi," Selphie grinned as she pulled Tidus out through the front door, then towards the end of the street to return the one where she lived.

Kairi gently closed the front door, still smiling. She walked into the kitchen to look at the clock on the wall. The time was five to one.

_Only six hours and five minutes to go before Sora comes and I find out what my surprise is,_ Kairi thought excitedly. With a wide grin, she then ran out of the kitchen and up to her bedroom to get ready for the night.

* * *

**I don't doubt you're all wondering what it is Sora has planned for Kairi. ;P Some of you may be able to work it out, others may be totally surprised. But you will all defiantly find out. I hope I can get the next chapter done soon, especially due to the fact I will soon be without the Internet for a while. I'm sure you really want to know what the surprise is, so I don't want to keep you guys waiting to find out what it is for too long.**


	16. Getting Ready

**Okay, I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid you aren't going to find out what the surprise is in this chapter. :( I'm really sorry about that. I hope you all aren't mad at me. I'll explain why at the end of this chapter, which I sure hope you will still enjoy.**

* * *

"I hope this is alright."

Kairi was in her room, standing in front of a tall dressing mirror with a bronze frame. She had carried it out of her father's room and into her own. She gazed at her reflection, feeling worried, as she looked down at what she was wearing; a tank top that was similar to her old one, but was a bright pink. She was also wearing a skirt that was also pink and was much shorter than her old purple one. A pair of pink high heels were on her feet.

The young girl gazed at her reflection, wondering what Sora would think of her clothes for the night. She had bought the clothes a few days after Sora and Riku returned to the islands. Kairi had always wanted Sora to see the clothes and she wanted to know what he thought of them, but due to him constantly sleeping on the beach since he had returned, she had never received a chance. She was now going to get her chance, however, and she was feeling a little nervous.

A pink handbag with a long strap was resting on the floor, next to Kairi's left foot. Kairi bent down and opened it, then reached into it, pulling out a hairbrush. As she stood up straight again, she gently ran it through her hair, despite the fact it was straight without any tangles, as she had been brushing it for the previous fives hours, taking breaks in between to change her clothes and wash at the bathroom sink.

After running the brush through her hair a few times, Kairi bent down again to place the hairbrush back into the handbag, before pulling out a small purple bottle of perfume. Kairi stood up straight, still gazing at her reflection, and held up the perfume bottle. Gently, she pulled the plastic lid off the top, then held the bottle to her neck and turned it so that the hole for the perfume to come out of faced her neck. She pressed down on the nozzle, sending some of the perfume to shoot out of the bottle and land on her soft neck. The fragrance rose into Kairi's nostrils, making her smile softly. It was the smell of roses, her favourite flower. She knew Sora did not like flowers, but she hoped he would at least like the smell.

When she had finished spraying the perfume, Kairi placed the lid back onto the top of the bottle, then bent down again to place the bottle back into the handbag. She then stood up straight again to gaze at her reflection once more, smiling nervously. "Well, Sora is finally gonna see what I look like in these clothes. I sure hope he likes them."

Kairi then turned and walked out of her room, closing the door behind her. As she made her way through the corridor and down the staircase, she felt a knot tighten inside her stomach. She took a few deep breaths, trying the calm her nerves. "It's okay," she told herself quietly in a shaky voice. "I'm just going out with Sora. We're going to have a nice night. Just me and him."

Smiling at the thought of being all alone with Sora, Kairi reached the bottom of the stairs. She walked towards the doorway that led to the kitchen. She looked up at the clock, which told her that the time was five to seven.

"Only five minutes to go," Kairi whispered to herself with a smile. She walked into the lounge and sunk into the couch. She rocked back and forth in both nervousness and excitement. "Five minutes," she whispered. "Five minutes."

Kairi leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes, her smile widening. She began to wonder where Sora was taking her – then she quickly jumped up to her feet alarm as her thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. "Sora! He's here!"

"Yes, I'm here, Kairi. I did tell you to be ready," came a voice from behind the front door, followed by a laugh.

Kairi turned into a jumble of nerves again as she turned towards the door. She felt her legs beginning to shake and struggled to stay on her feet. Quickly, she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make it even straighter than it already was. "I'm…I'm coming, Sora!"

Walking nervously towards the door, Kairi took a few shaky breaths. She placed her left hand on her heart, which was racing fast, trying to calm herself down. She took hold of the door handle with her trembling right hand. "Okay," she whispered to herself in a quiet voice. "Here goes."

As Kairi pulled the handle down, she slowly pulled the front door open. She looked out worriedly into the darkness – then her eyes widened in disbelief. "Sora? Is that really you?"

The spiky-haired fifteen year old boy was standing on her doorstep, dressed in a black leather zipper jacket, which was open to reveal a black shirt underneath. Kairi looked down at his feet, which had black trainers on them, and she noticed that Sora was wearing black jeans. A sweet aroma rose into Kairi nostrils, which told her that Sora was wearing aftershave.

"Yes, it's me," Sora replied, looked at Kairi with wide eyes. "But is that really you, Kairi?"

Kairi blushed, her cheeks turning as pink as her clothes. She looked down shyly at her feet. "How do I look?"

"Wonderful!" Sora grinned widely. "Those clothes are amazing on you, Kairi!"

Kairi looked up at Sora in disbelief. "I look wonderful?"

"_Very _wonderful," Sora replied with a nod, still grinning. "Why have I never seen these clothes before, Kairi?"

Kairi looked down at her feet again. "Well…I got these clothes after you returned. I wanted you to see them…but I never got a chance…because you were always asleep."

"Oh…" Sora's face fell. He looked down at his feet sadly. "So, I could have seen these clothes before…and yet, I kept picking sleep over you."

Kairi smiled and wrapped her arms tightly around the boy. "It's okay, Sora. I'm just glad you're gonna spend these next two weeks with me. I'm also glad you like the clothes."

Sora grinned and hugged Kairi back. "Are you ready to go?"

Kairi closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the boy's arms around her. She gave a small nod - then suddenly shot her eyes open with a panicked expression. "Oh no! I've just remembered something!"

Sora, beginning to worry, looked down at Kairi with wide eyes, along with a frown. "What's the matter, Kairi?"

"Hang on, Sora! I'll be right back!" Kairi quickly pulled herself out of Sora's embrace. She quickly turned away from the boy and raced up the stairs. "Oh no! Please, no!"

Sora took a few steps forward to stand inside the house. He watched with worried eyes as Kairi disappeared up the stairs. He began to pace back and forth, placing a hand to his mouth. His mind raced with worry as he wondered why Kairi had suddenly run off in fear. What was wrong with her? Was there any way he could help her? Was she in danger?

"It's alright, Sora. Don't worry."

Sora stopped pacing and looked up to see Kairi coming down the stairs, a relieved smile on her face. She now had her pink handbag hanging from its long strap around her right shoulder. She reached the bottom of the stairs and smiled up at Sora. "I nearly forgot my bag. I thought for a minute that I had lost it."

Sora scoffed with a snort. "Girls! Always going into a panic when they nearly forget something small, like a bag!"

Kairi frowned up at the boy, then took the strap off her shoulder with her left hand before taking hold of it with her right hand. Holding onto the strap tightly, she swung the bag around; making it hit Sora on the left side of his head.

"Ow!" Sora cried in pain, rubbing the left side of his head where the bag had hit him. "What do you keep in that bag, Kairi? Miniature Keyblades?"

"No. Just my hairbrushes, make-up, perfume and all sorts of girly stuff which boys wouldn't care about," giggled Kairi. "They're good to turn a bag into a weapon to hit boys with when they misbehave, so you'd better be on your best behaviour tonight, Sora."

Sora snickered, shaking his head in disbelief, and stepped backwards out onto the doorstep. Kairi followed him out, still giggling, closing the door behind her.

* * *

**Yeah, really sorry that the surprise wasn't revealed in the chapter. I was gonna write on and reveal what it is, but I came up with the bit with Kairi hittinf Sora and thought that would be a good place to end the chapter. Also, this story is going to be my longest one to date, so I want it to have as many chapters as possible.**

**I'll write the next chapter as soon as I can, as I really want you guys to find out what it is before I lose the Internet for a while. **


	17. The Walk

**Another very quick update, for here's chapter seventeen.**

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"See, Sora? We girls can use a bag to carry our keys."

Kairi, still giggling, pulled a key out of her handbag to lock the front door. Sora stood behind her, pulling a black leather wallet out of his jacket pockets. He waved it behind Kairi's back. "Well, we guys like to keep our keys in a wallet."

"Well, I'm not a guy. Am I, Sora?" Kairi laughed, turning to face the boy with a grin, putting her keys back into her handbag.

Sora smiled and shook his head, slipping his wallet back into his jacket pocket. _No, Kairi,_ he thought, wishing he could tell Kairi those words. _You're a very beautiful, sweet and caring girl. I love you._

"Well, are we ready to go?" Kairi asked, stepping off the doorstep, still grinning.

Sora quickly snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, um, yes. We're ready. C'mon, Kairi. Let's go."

Her grin widening, Kairi looked down at Sora's hands, expecting him to offer one of them to her, which she would quickly take. To her surprise, both of Sora's hands remained dangling beside his sides, not even twitching. Kairi's face fell. Why was Sora not offering her either of his hands to take?

"Kairi?" Sora looked down at the girl, confused, unable to realize what she had expected him to do. "Are you alright?"

Kairi looked up at Sora and let out a small sigh of disappointment. "Yes, Sora."

"What were you looking at?"

"Nothing, Sora."

"Kairi-"

"C'mon, Sora." Kairi put on a wide grin. "Let's not waste the night. I wanna go and find out what my surprise is. Can we go now?"

"Oh, right," laughed Sora, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, Kairi. Let's get going."

Turning around, Sora walked slowly down the path through the garden. Kairi walked alongside the boy on his right side, looking up at him. He just looked ahead silently as they walked through the gateway, turned right and walked down the street.

Kairi sighed and looked down at her feet as she walked. She was still feeling very excited, although she also felt slightly disappointed that Sora had not taken her hand. The night for her and Sora had only just begun, but so far, it was not going the way she had wanted it to. She had expected Sora to walk hand in hand with her. Kairi looked down longingly at Sora's right hand, expecting it to be offered to her. Her eyes saddened as the hand remained dangling beside the boy's side.

The two teenagers left the street and began to walk towards the town. Trying to forget about the hand and remaining herself that she was supposed to be enjoying herself, as she was going out with Sora, Kairi tore her eyes away from Sora's hand and looked up at the sky. Her eyes widened in amazement. "Oh, my, Sora. Look at the sky."

Sora, who had been silent, due to thinking about how mush he loved Kairi, despite the fact she was in his presence, snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at the beautiful blue night sky. High up above them was a full moon, which looked larger and shinier than usual. Surrounding it were thousands of twinkling stars, helping to light up both the sky and the islands.

"Isn't it beautiful, Sora?" Kairi beamed, unable to look away from the moon. There were twinkles in both of her blue eyes.

Sora looked at the girl with a soft smile. The moonlight showed how beautiful she was; her red hair, her blue eyes, her pink clothes and her sweet smile. Almost everything that made Kairi beautiful, the moonlight caught. There was only one feature of the girl it could not light up, although it was already full of light with no darkness; her kind and caring heart.

Kairi looked away from the moon to gaze at Sora, noticing that he was looking at her with a smile. "What is it?" she asked curiously, smiling back.

Sora's smile quickly faded. He found himself struggling what to say. "Oh, I was…um, I was just…just…"

"Just what?" Kairi asked, her smile falling. She wondered what Sora was going to say and why he was stuttering.

"Just…noticing how lovely you look in those clothes."

Kairi's eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink. "I looked lovely?"

Sora grinned with a nod, feeling relieved that he was able to get out of his situation without having to lie to the girl. "Definatly, Kairi."

Kairi blushed harder and grinned back. "Those black clothes look so cool on you."

Sora's grinned faded and he looked down at the clothes, then up at Kairi in surprise. "You like them?"

"Don't you?" Kairi asked in surprise.

Sora shook his head and looked down at his feet as he walked, frowning in disgust at his black shoes. "I only got them today. Mom took me out shopping and I agreed to go, as I wanted to spend time with her. She took me to a clothes store, saying I had to get some nice clothes for tonight. But she wouldn't let me pick what I wanted. She picked these, as _she _liked them, and wouldn't let me pick anything else."

"Well, I think they look really nice on you, Sora. Why don't _you _like them?"

Sora sighed and closed his eyes. "It remains me of darkness."

"Oh." Kairi looked down at her feet and gave a small nod, now understanding why Sora didn't like the clothes.

"It also reminds me of when I turned into a Heartless."

Kairi suddenly looked up at Sora with a horrified gasp, stopping in her tracks. Being reminded of when Sora turned into a Heartless also reminded her of the reason why he became one; for he gave up his own heart. Although he was now back, the memory made Kairi feel devastated, as well as guilty, for Sora's selfless action had been to save her.

"Kairi?" Sora stopped beside Kairi and looked at her in confusion and worry, noticing how horrified she looked. "Are you alright?"

Feeling afraid, Kairi began to tremble. "I…just remembered about…_why _you became a Heartless…and…how…I nearly lost you…"

Smiling, Sora placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. Instantly, Kairi stopped trembling and looked up at him. He smiled and gently massaged her shoulders. "But you didn't lose me, Kairi, because you saved me."

Kairi gave a small smile. "I said I wouldn't let g-" She stopped, her face falling in realization, and began trembling again. Her blue eyes were full of fear and sadness.

"Kairi?" Sora frowned in worry and continued to massage the girl's shoulders. "Kairi, what is it?"

"Sora." Kairi looked up the boy she loved, her eyes filing with tears. "Back then…I thought I had…lost you. But you came back. And now…" Kairi let out a soft sob, a tear leaking out of her eye. "I could lose you again…"

"Kairi, don't cry," Sora frowned sadly. "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves while spending lots of time together. Please, Kairi, don't cry."

Sora then reached out and gently took Kairi's right hand in his. Kairi stopped sobbing and looked up at Sora in surprise. The boy looked back down at her, a worried expression on his face. Kairi then looked down at the hand that was holding her own. Although she had held it before, this time, there on no glove on it. Kairi gave a small smile at the softness of Sora's hand. She was very happy at the feeling of it, for it felt so soft and warm. Giving it a squeeze, Kairi then smiled up at Sora. "Thank you, Sora."

"For what?" Sora asked in confusion.

"For being there for me. You always have been there for me. And you always cheer me up." Still smiling, Kairi reached up with her left hand and rested it onto Sora's right cheek. "Thank you."

Sora blushed hard at the feeling of Kairi's hand on his cheek. She had never done that before, but it was a lovely feeling for Sora. He gave her a wide grin, still blushing. "No problem, Kairi."

Kairi grinned back and squeezed Sora's hand. "C'mon! I wanna find out what my surprise is!"

"Well then, let's go! We haven't got far to walk!"

Kairi pulled her left hand away from Sora's cheek, but kept a firm grip on his right hand. Sora looked down at their joined hands with a smile before beginning to walk again. Kairi followed slowly, holding onto the boy's hand. She did not know that Sora had wanted to walk hand-in-hand with her since they had left her house, but he had been too nervous to take her hand, as he didn't know how she had reacted. He was happy and relieved that she had not pulled away.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were walking along a sidewalk that ran through the busy town. The area was lit up by the yellow light streetlamps and the white headlamps of the many cars were travelling on the road, tooting their horns. There were a few shops on the sidewalk and people were striding quickly in and out of them, carrying shopping bags. Kairi looked around and listened to the sounds she could hear. The noise was very different the gentle and calming sounds of the waves washing onto the beach and the seagulls flying through the sky.

Sora led them under a street lamp, then came to a stop in the yellow light that was shining down on them. Kairi stopped and looked up at him curiously. "What is it, Sora?"

With his free hand, Sora pointed to the building they were standing outside. "Here's your surprise, Kairi."

Kairi turned to the building before letting off an amazed gasp, her eyes widening. "Sora!"

The building they were standing outside of was very large with several windows going around the brickwork. Through the windows, Kairi could see a huge room with people sitting on round tables, eating meals. The room's floor was mostly covered by a red woollen carpet, but a quarter of it was covered by wooden flooring. Chandlers light up the whole room. In front of the teenagers were double doors, both of which were open. Above the doors, in white lettering on the brickwork, was the name of the restaurant: NIGHT SKY.

"_Night Sky?_" Kairi squealed loudly, turning to Sora, her eyes lighting up. "You brought me to Night Sky? That's my surprise?"

Sora grinned at Kairi's excitement and nodded. "Do you like it here?"

"I've never eaten here," murmured Kairi quietly, looking down at her feet. "I've always wanted to eat here, as it looks so lovely. But Dad was always too busy to take me."

Sora smiled and placed his hands on Kairi's shoulders. "Well, I'm not too busy to take you here."

Looking up at Sora with a happy grin, Kairi threw her arms around him, taking him by surprise. "Oh, thank you, Sora! Thank you so much!"

Sora smiled and hugged the girl back tightly, rubbing her back gently. He was very happy that she liked her surprise. "It's okay, Kairi."

Kairi pulled away gently before looking up at Sora in excitement. "Well, shall we go in?"

Grinning back, Sora nodded before taking the girl's right hand in his left one. Kairi smiled and squeezed Sora's hand as he led her through the double doors.

* * *

**And that's Kairi's surprise; a restaurant. Will she and Sora have a nice time in there? You'll find out in the next chapter - which will probably be my last update for a while before I lose the Internet for a while.**


	18. Meal Orders

**Okay, I think I've still got a bit of time to write another chapter after this one. It's after the sixteenth when my Internet cuts out for a while, but I'll need to find out what date that is - and of course, when it comes back. I'm sure I'll have to time to write another chapter after this one - but for now, I hope you enjoy this one.**

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After passing through the double doors, Sora and Kairi stopped, their hands still joined. They looked around, amazed at how large the building was. The tables were crowded with several people, although the quarter of the room that was covered by wooden flooring was empty.

From where she and Sora were standing, Kairi tried to see if she could spot an empty table. Every table in her sight had at least three people sitting at them. Kairi began to worry, thinking they would not be able to get a table. "Sora, can you see an empty table?"

"Its okay, Kairi, don't worry," smiled Sora, sensing the girl's worry. "I booked a table for us, this morning."

Kairi looked up at Sora. "How much did that cost?"

"Five Munny for each of us. So it wasn't too bad."

"What if it was more expensive?"

Sora grinned and placed his free hand on Kairi's cheek, causing her to blush. "Not too expensive to make my best friend happy. It wouldn't matter to me if this cost about a thousand Munny for both of us, Kairi. I would still pay it for you."

"But…" Kairi's eyes widened. "I wouldn't want you to spend so much Munny on me."

"You're worth it, Kairi," smiled Sora, caressing the girl's cheek. "I care about you far more than Munny."

Kairi looked down at her feet, feeling guilty. "But you can't go wasting that much Munny on me."

"It's not a waste, Kairi." Gently, Sora ran his fingers through Kairi's soft red hair. "It's to make you happy."

Kairi looked up at Sora with a small smile. She gazed into the boy's deep blue eyes, reached up with both of her hands and placed them onto his cheeks. "I don't need things like this to make me feel happy, Sora. All I need is you."

Sora blushed hard and looked down at Kairi with wide eyes. He felt his heart race as Kairi stood on her toes to make her head closer to his. Sora found himself gazing into the girl's amazing blue eyes, which gazed back into his. Sora hugged the girl as she gently caressed his cheeks. The tips of their noses touched, making them both blush even harder.

"Are you ready for your table?"

The sound of a gruff voice interrupted the moment and made them realize how close they were and remember they were in a public place. Quickly, Sora let go of Kairi and she pulled her hands away from his cheeks. Both of them found themselves trembling and blushing hard. They felt their hearts racing and, unknown to each other, they had both enjoyed the moment and were disappointed it had ended.

Still trembling and blushing, Sora and Kairi turned to find a waiter standing in front of them. He was a tall man with pale skin, blue eyes and short black hair with a moustache. He was dressed in a typical waiter's uniform: a black waist coat and pair of trousers with a white buttoned shirt, a black pair of shoes and a bowtie. He was holding a clipboard in his right hand. "Are you ready for your table?" he asked again in his gruff voice.

"Uh, yes, yes we are." Sora replied, still struggling to stay on his feet.

"Okay." The waiter looked down at the sheet of lined paper with names and table numbers written on it attracted to the front of the clipboard. "Name, please."

"Sora."

"Ah, Sora!" The waiter exclaimed, instantly pointing to Sora's name and the table number on the sheet of paper. He turned around, his back facing the two teenagers, and began to walk forward. "Follow me, please. Your table is this way."

"Thank you." Sora turned to Kairi and offered her his right hand with a grin. "Let's go, Kairi."

Kairi smiled softly and took hold of Sora's hand in her left hand. She felt Sora's grip tighten as he gently squeezed her hand. As Sora began to follow the waiter, Kairi followed, thinking about how physically close to each other they had been before the waiter had interrupted. Kairi blushed at the thought, as she had enjoyed every second of it. She wished the waiter had not interrupted.

The waiter came to a stop at an empty table that was beside a window, looking out at the street outside, but with a good view of the moon and stars. Like all of the other tables, it was round, covered by a white tablecloth, but there were only two chairs, standing on opposite sides. On each side of the table stood a wine glass, alongside a knife, fork and spoon that were wrapped up in a napkin. Resting in the middle of the table were two menus. Beside the menus stood a plastic frame with a small sheet of white card inside it. On the sheet of card was a number twelve.

The waiter gestured towards the table and turned to Sora and Kairi. "Here is your table."

"Thank you," smiled Sora, walking to the chair on the side to the table they were standing by. He pulled it out from under the table and turned to Kairi. "Here's your seat, Kairi."

Kairi was taken by surprise, but smiled softly and walked towards Sora. "Thank you, Sora," she said, sitting down in the chair, taking her bag off her shoulder and placing it down on the floor.

Sora gently pushed the chair so that Kairi's legs were under the table. He then walked to the chair on the opposite side and pulled it out from under the table. After taking off his black leather jacket and resting it on the back of the chair, he sat down, pulled the chair forward, rested his elbows on the table and held up his head with his hands, looking at Kairi with a smile. Kairi smiled back, blushing.

"I'll leave you to decide what you want to order," the waiter smiled, turning and walking away.

"Have you ever eaten here before, Sora?" Kairi asked, picking up one of the menus. She looked at the front page, seeing that it had a picture of a large plate with roast potatoes, string beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes and chicken on it. Underneath the picture were the words in white capital letters: 'NIGHT SKY'.

"I've been here a few times with Mom," Sora replied, picking up the other menu. He opened it up and scanned the list of meals with hungry eyes. "They do lots of lovely meals here. Lat time I was here, I ate a huge burger with fries. I might have that – or I might have a great big pizza-"

"Um, Sora," Kairi interrupted, looking up from menu at the boy with worried eyes. "I don't think you should be eating burgers, fries or pizza."

"Huh? Why not?" Sora looked up at Kairi in surprise.

"They could affect your…" Kairi's voice trailed off. She looked down and gave a small sigh. "You know."

"Oh." Sora looked down at the menu again in disappointment. "You're right," he sighed, feeling gloomy about not being allowed to eat his favourite meals.

Kairi looked up, seeing how unhappy Sora was, and smiled. "C'mon, Sora. Don't be unhappy. We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves." She opened up her menu and ran her eyes over the list of meals. "There's gotta be a nice meal in here for you."

Sora looked up, not hopeful in the least. "Like what?"

Kairi closed the menu to look at the picture on the front again. She turned the menu so that the picture was facing Sora. "What about this one?"

Sora chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not one for roast meals, Kairi."

"Well, you might like this one. Are the burgers, fries and pizza cooked well here?"

"Oh, magnificent!" Sora closed his eyes, smiling, thinking about the unhealthy food he would often eat when he would come to the restaurant with Nikkou. "They taste so good."

"Well then, this meal is sure to taste good." Kairi turned the menu around to look at the picture again. "I'm gonna have this. It looks so lovely."

"That's because you like roast dinners," sighed Sora, opening his eyes to look at Kairi.

"Yes, I do. And I'm sure you will like this one, too. If they cook tasty burgers, fries and pizza, they are sure to cook tasty roast dinners. Besides, a nice healthy meal could really help you with your cancer, Sora."

Sora sighed, knowing he was beat. He badly wanted to get better at any cost, so that he would not have to leave Kairi. Any cost would include eating a roast dinner. "Alright, Kairi. I'll order two of these meals."

Kairi smiled. "I'm sure you will like it, Sora."

"I bet I won't." Sora looked down at his menu again. "Now, what do you want to drink?"

"Water. It's all _we_ can drink, since were so young – and it's all I _want_ to drink." Kairi looked at a young couple on a nearby table. She gritted her teeth as she watched them take sips of wine from their glasses. "Even if we _were_ old enough to drink alcohol, I wouldn't want to."

"Same here," Sora agreed with a nod. "I really cannot understand why people would want to drink it. Even if it does taste good, they should know it is bad for the body. I would never want to even try it."

Kairi looked at Sora with a smile. Hearing what he said made her think of how good he was; always wanting to do what was right for himself and everyone, never wanting to do anything bad. _He couldn't do anything bad, even if he tried, _she thought. _Sora is so wonderful - and I love him so much._

Just then, the waiter returned. He stood by the table, holding a small notebook in one hand and a pencil in another. "Are you ready to order?"

"Yes, we'll have two of these please." Sora held up the menu in his right hand, showing the waiter the picture.

The waiter gave a small smile of humour. "Um, you've got two of those. But they don't taste good."

Sora chuckled and shook his head. "No, I don't mean the menu. The meal that's shown here." With his left hand, he pointed to the picture.

"Ah, the roast special!" exclaimed the waiter, scribbling on the note book. "Excellent choice, Sir. Anything to drink?"

"Two glasses of water please," Sora murmured quietly. He was feeling a little worried. The roast special was Kairi's choice, not his. He didn't think it was as excellent as the waiter made it sound.

The waiter quickly scribbled on the sheet of paper again. "Coming right up," he told the two teenagers. He then turned and headed for the kitchen, leaving Sora and Kairi all alone again.

Kairi looked up at the large chandeliers with hung from the ceiling. "It's really lovely here," she said with a smile.

"Yes. I always liked coming here with Mom. But I've always wanted to take you here."

Kairi looked at Sora with surprise. "Really? You've wanted to take me here?"

"Yes. I wanted to surprise you, like I did tonight, but every time I would try to book a table, the place was always fully booked – until tonight."

Kairi gave the boy a grateful grin. "And I'm so thankful you've taken me here. I had always wondered what it would be like to go here. It's even better than I thought – because _you're _here with me."

"Really, Kairi?" Sora asked in disbelief, his eyes widening and cheeks turning red. "I make it _better_?"

Kairi nodded, still grinning softly. "Thank you so much for this wonderful surprise, Sora."

"It's okay, Kairi," smiled Sora modestly, blushing harder. "It's okay."

* * *

**And that's the first half of the restaurant scene. I'm sure I have time to write and post the second half - but I need to do some planning, as I don't quite know what's gonna happen in some of it - although I do have something planned which I hope you guys will like. Mind you, I hope you'll like it all - and I hope you liked this first half. :)**


	19. Roast Special

**Hey, guys. First of all, I'm really sorry you've had to wait so long for a new update. I've been working on this over the days, but lately, I've been under a lot of stress, so I didn't feel like writing much, not enjoying it a lot and thinking the stress was making my effort look shoddy.**

**Now, as you've noticed, I've uploaded **_**two **_**chapters instead of one. I know I said the resturant scene would take two chapters - and you've scene the one - but as I was working on this, it turned out to be much longer than all the other chapters I've done so far. I felt it was far too long, so I split it up. Therefore, the resturants scene now takes up three chapters. You've seen the first one. Here is the second.**

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the waiter made his way back towards table twelve. He was carrying a wooden tray, on which two plates containing the food which made up the roast special, as well as two wine glasses that were filled with water, were being carried.

Sora and Kairi were sitting at table twelve, happily chatting together. They did not notice the waiter as he stopped beside the table. They were too busy enjoying each other's company to take any notice of everything and everyone around them. They were talking about was what Kairi had been doing while Sora and Riku were away. Sora felt guilty that his absence had caused her to feel lonely, but he knew leaving her where she was safe was the right thing, although he had been very happy when they had reunited in The World That Never Was after she began her search to find him and Riku.

The conversation was interrupted by the waiter clearing his throat. The two teenagers, taken by the surprise by the sudden noise, both turned to look at the waiter, who smiled at them. "Your meals."

As the waiter set the tray down onto the table, Sora looked in disgust at the two plates of the roast special. Seeing the vegetables gave him a sickly feeling in his stomach. He was sure he was not going to like the meal and was not looking forward to trying it. Kairi, however, smiled at the strong aroma of the food that made its way through her nostrils. She couldn't wait to eat her meal.

The waiter picked up both plates, one in each hand. He set one down in front of Sora and the other down in front of Kairi. After that, he picked up both of the glasses of water, again, one in each hand, and placed each one down in front of the teenagers. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, thank you," muttered Sora quietly, still looking down at his meal with a disgusted frown.

"Enjoy your meal," smiled the waiter, before turning and heading back towards the kitchen.

Kairi picked up one of the napkins that were wrapped around the sets of cutlery. She unwrapped the napkin and placed down beside the plate. She picked up the spoon and placed it horizontally above the plate, then held the fork in her left hand and the knife in her right hand. Piercing the fork through the chicken, she cut herself a piece with the knife, then held the fork to her mouth and placed the piece of chicken inside. Closing her mouth and pulling the fork out, Kairi began to chew on the piece of chicken, a smile on her face, for she enjoyed the taste.

Swallowing, Kairi cut herself another piece of chicken. "This is nice, isn't it, Sora?" she asked, holding the fork to her mouth. She opened her mouth and was about to place the piece of chicken inside, but looked up and closed her mouth again.

Sora was still frowning at his meal, his arms folded.

"C'mon, Sora," sighed Kairi, slightly annoyed, placing down her knife and fork on the table. "Are you gonna glare at your meal all night?"

"Might do."

"How do you know you won't like it when you haven't even taken a bite?"

"I told you, Kairi," replied Sora, looking up. "I'm not one for roast meals."

"But you might like this one, as it's made in the restaurant's own way. You said they cook lovely burgers, fries and pizza. You might find this meal lovely, too."

Sora looked down at his meal again, a worried gaze upon his face. "I dunno, Kairi."

"Will you please just try it?" Kairi asked in a small voice, trying to sound cute and desperate. Sora looked up to see that her blue eyes were shining at him. She gave him a tiny smile. "Please, Sora?"

Sora let off a sigh, then smiled at the girl, giving in. "Alright, Kairi, I'll try it. But if I don't like it, I'm not eating it."

"That's okay," Kairi replied in the same tiny voice, still smiling. She was certain she knew whether or not Sora would enjoy his meal. Having known him for so long, Kairi could sometimes correctly predict things involving Sora that he could not. She had not, however, predicted that he would get skin cancer. She wished she was able to predict if she would lose him. She desperately wanted to know, even if the future that lay ahead of her was to be without Sora. She couldn't stand not knowing.

Sora picked up his fork in his left hand and looked down at the food on his plate. He was not sure where to start, as it all looked disgusting to him. Sora had eaten everything that was on his plate at least once and had not enjoyed the taste of any of them.

"Try the tomatoes," suggested Kairi, gesturing to the small red fruits on Sora's plate with her fork.

Sora looked down at the tomatoes, frowning, and pieced his fork into one of them. He held the fork up and eyed the small fruit. He remembered the first time he had tried a tomato. He had been seven-years old, and had wandered into the kitchen in his house, looking for something to eat. He had found some tomatoes in the fridge and had popped one into his mouth. The moment he had started chewing on it, he had then spat it out of his mouth onto the kitchen floor, not liking the taste and leaving Nikkou with a mess to clean up. Since then, Sora had told himself he would never eat another tomato in his life.

Sora looked away from the small fruit on the end of his fork to look at Kairi. The girl's blue eyes were still shining and she was giving him an assuring smile. Sighing, Sora closed his eyes. He held the fork to his mouth, closed his mouth around the tomato, pulled the fork away and bit down slowly on the tomato.

"What do you think?" Kairi asked, grinning.

Sora eyes suddenly shot open. Kairi was a little taken aback by how wide they were, but then she smiled when he saw the boy smile. "Mmm."

Kairi grinned again, much wider. "You like it?"

Sora chewed quickly on the tomato and swallowed, his smile widening. "I love it."

Kairi closed her eyes, a satisfied smile on her face. "I knew you would."

As Sora pierced another tomato with his fork and placed it into his mouth before chewing on it, Kairi gestured with her own fork again. "Try some string beans."

Sora stopped chewing. His smile faded and he looked down at the string beans, remembering how disgusting the ones Nikkou had tried to make him eat when he was eight were. He gulped nervously, swallowing the tomato. "String beans?"

"Yeah." Kairi looked up at him, smiling softly. "Give them a try, Sora."

"I dunno." Sora closed his eyes in worry. "I really didn't like the string beans Mom tried to get me to eat-"

"And you may like these ones. After all, you liked the tomatoes."

"Yes, but-"

"Try them, Sora." Kairi said patiently, smiling up at the boy. "Just try them. If you don't like them, you don't have to eat them."

Sora opened his eyes, seeing the girl smile at him. Feeling a little reassured, he looked down at the string beans again. He felt his stomach gain the sickly feeling he had felt when the waiter had placed the plate down in front of them. However, hearing Kairi remind him in her sweet voice that he would not have to eat them if he didn't like him made him pierce one of the dark green string-like vegetables with his fork. He placed it into his mouth, pulled his fork out and bit down on the bean, leaving a soft crunch.

"Well?" Kairi asked, looking at Sora curiously. "Do you like it?"

A few crunches followed Kairi's question, telling her that Sora was continuing to chew. A smile crept upon his face, telling her that he did indeed like the string beans. After swallowing the one in his mouth, Sora did not hesitate to pierce several more and shove them greedily into his mouth.

Kairi giggled, amused by how Sora had gone from saying he did not like the food to actually eating the food and liking it. "If you like the tomatoes and string beans, Sora, you'll like it all."

She held up her fork, which still had the piece of chicken she had cut on the end of it. "Now let's eat up and enjoy our meals."

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter sucks. To be honest, I don't think it's that good. All it's about is Sora trying food. But since this is a restaurant scene, so I have to show him and Kairi eating. Go over to the next chapter now. As I said, what happens in there would have been in this chapter, but it made the chapter far too long. Hopefully, the next chapter is better than this one.**


	20. After Dinner

**And here is the third part of the restaurant scene. I sure hope you like it.**

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Nearly all of the food that had been on Sora's plate was soon nearly all gone. Sora was still chewing greedily and swallowing before eating more of what was left of his plate. Kairi had also nearly finished, but was taking her time, wanting to enjoy her meal. She could not understand how Sora was possibly able to enjoy his meal when he was eating it so fast, but she was glad to see he was not still frowning at it.

"Hey, Sora," she exclaimed to him as she remembered something. "We know what day it is in six days, don't we?"

Sora chewed quickly on the piece of carrot in his mouth before swallowing. A smile of excitement crept upon his face, being shot directly at Kairi. "It's my birthday!"

Kairi giggled at how excited Sora was. To her, seeing the boy look forward to his birthday like a young child would was an adorable sight - although she thought he was always adorable.

"I can't wait for my birthday," Sora squealed loudly, unable to stop himself from trembling with happiness over the thought of wrapped-up presents and a birthday cake for him. The smile on his face widened as his body shook much faster. He finally managed to control himself after spearing the last piece of food on his plate – a tomato – with his fork and swallowed it down.

"Neither can I," Kairi agreed, shaking her head as she grinned back at him. She was very excited, even though it was not her birthday that was coming up. She could not wait to see how happy Sora would be. She loved to see him so overjoyed and surprised on his birthdays. His happiness would always rise whenever his friends would arrive with presents. Kairi reminded herself that within the upcoming days that led to Sora's birthday, she would have to look for a special present for him. She did not know what she was going to get for him, but decided she would look around until she found the perfect gift that she felt Sora much deserved. Kairi smiled softly, thinking of how happy Sora would be if she could find him a wonderful present, as she ate her last carrot, then set her fork down in between her knife and spoon on her empty plate.

"Your bill."

The two teenagers were surprised again by the sudden voice of the waiter. As they turned to face him, he placed a bill down in front of Sora.

Picking up the bill, Sora ran his eyes over it. At the bottom, he was told that the total amount was sixteen Munny. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his leather black wallet and opening it to pull out three medium-sized Munny orbs and one small one. He handed them to the waiter with a smile. "We really enjoyed our meals, thank you."

"No problem," the waiter replied, smiling back down at Sora. Holding the Munny orbs tight in one hand, with his free hand, he picked up each plate, glass and piece of cutlery, one by one, setting them down onto a small trolley he had pushed to the table. After collecting both plates and glasses, along with all of the cutlery, he gave the teenagers a wave and a grin before pushing the trolley towards the door to the kitchen, still gripping onto the Munny tight.

Kairi looked around, noticing that the room was almost empty. Everyone had left the other tables and the remaining guests were making their way towards the double doors. Kairi assumed it was nearly closing time, which meant the night was nearly over. With a slightly disappointed sigh, she stood up. "C'mon, Sora. We'd better get going."

"No we don't," Sora replied, looking up at Kairi as he reached up with his hand to take hers. He slid back in his chair as he stood up, grinning softly at the girl.

Kairi blushed at Sora taking hold of her hand and looked up at the boy in confusion. "What do you mean, Sora? We've had our meals."

"I know."

"And…" Kairi looked around the room again, noticing that all of the guests had now left. A few waiters were pushing trolleys that carried empty plates through the kitchen door. "Everybody's left."

Kairi looked back at the boy – and was even more surprised when she saw he had a wide grin on his face. She was about to ask him what was making him look so glad - but the boy suddenly pulled her by her hand away from the table, leading her to the quarter of the room that was covered by wooden flooring. They stood in the centre and Sora looked down at Kairi, the grin never leaving his face.

Kairi gazed back up at him with a puzzled frown. She was feeling even more confused and did not understand what they were supposed to be doing. "What's going on, Sora?"

Sora reached up with his free hand to place it on her girl's shoulder. He smiled softly down at her. "You'll see."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light from the chandeliers suddenly dimmed, making the room a little darker. Startled by this, Kairi gasped and gripped onto the front of Sora's shirt, instantly calming down at the feeling of the black material. Being all alone in a dark room while holding onto Sora made her feel safe. Were she alone, she would have been very frightened.

Sora could tell she was scared and gently pulled her into a comforting hug. Kairi looked up at him, blushing hard and feeling even more safe. She released her grip on his shirt before gently placing her hands onto his shoulders.

"Don't worry, Kairi," she could hear Sora whisper softly to her. "There's nothing to be scared of."

_No, there isn't, _Kairi thought in relief, smiling back up at the boy she loved. _Because you're here…but… _Her smile faded and she looked down in sadness that was growing deep. _You may not be here for long – and I would be scared and miserable without you..._

Sora's soft smile left his face as he noticed the girl was looking miserable. He unwrapped his right arm from around her to place his hand on her cheek. As she looked up at him, he saw, to his worry, her eyes were filling up with tears. With a gasp, Sora gently used his to caress her cheek, ready to wipe away the tears that were about to run down it.

As the size of the tears built up inside Kairi's eyes, ready to fall, a soft noise filled the ears of the teenagers. They were both taken by surprise. Kairi looked around quickly as she began to listen, managing to stop her tears from escaping from her eyes. The noise was the sound of soft music, which was being played through black rectangular speakers which were on the walls. Kairi had not noticed them, as they were so small and the room was so dark. The music she could hear played through the speakers was a soft melody that, when recorded, had been played on a piano. She turned to look up at Sora, who was smiling down at her again. He removed his hand from her cheek to place it onto her shoulder, keeping his left arm wrapped around her. He slowly started to sway slowly to the music.

Kairi blushed softly, a small smile appearing on her face, and she swayed gently with Sora. She removed her hands from his shoulders and slid her arms underneath his to hug him around the torso. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, feeling safe and happy, not wanting the moment to end.

Smiling at the feeling of her head on his chest, Sora blushed hard and began to rotate, moving slowly around the floor as he led the dance with the girl he was holding. Kairi lifted her head off his chest to gaze up at him with shining eyes, still smiling softly as she followed his movements. As he returned the smile, Sora stopped rotating and stood on the spot, beginning to sway again. Kairi swayed slowly with him, resting her head on his chest again, enjoying the dance.

After some more swaying, Sora took a few steps forward while still holding Kairi. Without lifting her head off his chest as she stepped backwards, keeping her arms around him, Kairi looked up to smile at the boy. Stopping in the centre of the dance floor, Sora slowly bent over while holding onto the girl. Kairi felt herself falling backwards, slipping off her feet, but she did not panic. Quickly, she draped her arms around Sora's neck as he held her above the floor. She lay in his arms and gazed up at him, blushing hard. Sora grinned down at her, lowering his head down so that it was close to hers. Kairi blushed harder and giggled softly. She enjoyed being cradled in Sora's arms. She was not afraid of falling out of them, because she knew Sora would not drop her. She felt safe and comfortable enough to fall asleep, but she could not close her eyes, as they were locked onto the boy who was holding her.

If she had fallen asleep, it would have soon been disturbed, for Sora gently lifted her up to her feet before hugging her once again. Gazing up at the boy, Kairi tightened her arms around his neck, smiling at him as the music died down.

"Did you enjoy that, Kairi?" Sora grinned down at her.

Kairi nodded slowly, looking happily up at Sora and grinning softly. "Sora…that was wonderful. That was the best dance I have ever had in my whole life."

"The best?" Sora's eyes widened in disbelief.

Kairi grinned softly. "I wish it could have lasted forever. Just dancing and dancing…with you."

Sora blushed hard and sighed with relief. He had been worried Kairi would have thought he was terrible at dancing. He could hardly believe she wished she could dance with him for all time.

Kairi tightened her arms around Sora's neck. She closed her eyes and rubbed the side of her head against Sora's chest, smiling happily. "Thank you for a wonderful night, Sora."

Grinning down at the girl, feeling glad that she had enjoyed herself, Sora reached up to stroke her hair. "It's okay, Kairi. I'm just glad you had fun."

Kairi let out a soft yawn, followed by a small giggle. "I feel like falling asleep on you. You're so comfortable."

Sora chuckled, continuing to run his fingers through Kairi's hair. "I would more than happily let you, but this isn't a good place to sleep."

"It doesn't matter if we're in a restaurant," Kairi murmured tiredly, the smile never leaving her face. "As long as you're here, I'll fall asleep anywhere."

Sora blushed hard and ran his fingers onto Kairi's cheek. "Well, we're gonna have to get you home, Kairi, then I will have to go. Mom will probably get worried – and you know what she's like when she worries."

Kairi opened her eyes and looked up at Sora without lifting her head off his chest. She was feeling a little disappointed that the night had ended, but it did not stop her from feeling very happy. A small giggle escaped her lips. "I know, Sora."

"Meet me tomorrow on the smaller island. We'll then go and do something else that's fun."

"Okay. What time?"

"Anytime you like." Sora gave a small chuckle. "You're very tired, Kairi, so you need to get plenty of sleep before you're ready to come out."

Kairi grinned up at the boy, leaving another small giggle. "I'll still get there before you, you lazy bum. I always do."

"Not this time. I'll be up early and waiting for you, ready to have fun. This time, I _will_ be there. I know I didn't come when you had been waiting for me, but-"

"It's okay, Sora." Kairi interrupted quietly, still smiling softly up at him. "I know you'll be there."

Sora smiled back, then gently broke the hug. Kairi, beginning to suddenly feel cold without the boy's arms around her, took hold of Sora's hand, afraid of him letting go. She relaxed when she felt Sora squeeze her hand. He led her over to table twelve and pulled his hand away to put on his jacket. Kairi watched him with a smile. She did not mind that he had let go of her hand. She knew he would take it again to walk her home.

After putting his jacket on, Sora walked over to the chair Kairi had been sitting in and picked her handbag up off the floor by its strap. He walked over to Kairi and offered it to her. "Here you go, Kairi."

"Oh, I'd nearly forgotten I had taken this." Kairi took the bag from Sora by its strap and hung it from her left shoulder. "Thanks, Sora."

"It's a good thing you have me with you," Sora chuckled with a grin. "Otherwise, you would have forgotten something girls can't go anywhere without."

Kairi looked up lovingly at Sora through soft eyes. _Yes, Sora. It is a good thing I have you with me, _she thought happily._ I can go anywhere without my bag – but I can't go anywhere without you._

Sora gently took hold of Kairi's hand again, smiling softly at her. Noticing how pink her cheeks were turning as she gazed back at him, he gently squeezed her hand. "C'mon. Let's get you home."

Kairi nodded, smiling back and still blushing. "Let's."

* * *

The second walk with Sora seemed to be shorter than the first one to Kairi, as they arrived back at the street where they lived quicker than she expected. As they walked along the sidewalk, she looked up at Sora and squeezed his hand. The boy was gazing down at her happily as he led her through her gateway and along the path that ran through her garden to the front door of her house. Kairi sighed. She knew that the night was now over – but it had been so wonderful.

When Sora had led her to the front door before coming to a stop in front of the doorstep, Kairi let go of his hand and smiled up at him. "Thank you so much for a lovely night, Sora. I really appreciate that you did it all for me."

"It's okay, Kairi," Sora replied quietly, smiling back. "I'm really glad you liked had a lovely night – and tomorrow, we're gonna have a lovely day."

Grinning tiredly, Kairi wrapped her arms around the boy's neck. Sora blushed and hugged her back. He was very happy that he had finally managed to give her a good time since returning home. Seeing how much she enjoyed it made he even more determined to make the upcoming days enjoyable for the two of them.

Breaking the hug, knowing Sora had to go home, Kairi opened up her handbag to take out her key. She turned away from Sora to unlock the door and step into the house, but stood by the doorway and turned around to smile at Sora and raise her hand. "See you tomorrow, Sora."

"Goodnight, Kairi." Raising his hand, Sora walked backwards down the path, smiling at the girl, feeling just as happy as he had made her.

"Goodnight, Sora." Lowering her hand, Kairi watched, still smiling, as Sora walked backwards through the gateway. He turned to his left and walked down the sidewalk, heading to his house.

As soon as Sora had disappeared into the darkness, Kairi shut the door and locked it up. She put her key back inside her handbag, which she closed and took off her shoulder to drop onto the floor. Letting off a tired sigh, she began to walk wearily up the stairs, thinking about everything she and Sora had down throughout the night.

Kairi smiled tiredly as she reached the corridor at the top of the stairs. _I wish I could go back in time to do it all again, _she thought, her smile suddenly fading and her expression suddenly becoming one of upset. _Actually…I wish I could go back in time…and stop Sora from falling asleep under the sun…and getting cancer…_

* * *

The girl was soon in her room, now dressed in a pink nightgown and getting into bed. She pulled the duvet over herself, feeling very devastated at what Sora was going through. As she lay back on the matressed and rested her head on the pillow, she managed to take the horrible thoughts of Sora's cancer out of her mind to think about what he had told her before leaving.

"_I'm really glad you liked had a lovely night – and tomorrow, we're gonna have a lovely day."_

Smiling softly, beginning to feel again and thoroughly looking forward to the next day, Kairi slowlt closed her tired eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**And so, not only is the restaurant scene now over, but so is the first day. What does the second day hold? You'll find out in the next chapter, although I have to do some researching and planning before I can write it. I'll try not to take too long.**


	21. Second Surprise

**Hi, guys! :D Sorry I haven't updated for so long. I've been kinda busy lately with stuff going on. But I've really missed being able to update. I sure hope you didn't think I was giving up on this story. I'm determined to get it finished, even if it takes me the rest of my life, which it might just do, as this is gonna be my longest story to date. We now enter chapter twenty-one (and in the process, this story is now longer than my previous longest one). What happens in it? Read on. :)**

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At about half past five, the following morning, the sun began to creep over the horizon. It lit up the dark sky, changing it into a bright orange colour, which was soon reflected in the ocean. The rays of the sun shone down onto Destiny Islands, bringing out the beauty of all three of them, which had been partly obscured in the darkness of the night. Colours started to show again on the smaller island. The yellow of the sand on its beach was become clear again, as well as the dark green of the leaves in the trees, which looked a much brighter green after spending hours in the dark.

Hardly any sounds could be heard on the smaller island. The waves washed gently onto the shore, disappearing again back into the sea. A few gulls cried out as they flew away from the island and out towards the sea in search of fish for their breakfast.

It was not until the sun was halfway over the horizon that the sound of footsteps filled the beach. Sora, dressed in his normal clothes, walked steadily down the wooden staircase of the pier, which he had just tied his boat to, stepping out onto the beach. The sand crunched under his large boots as he walked away from the staircase and towards the shore, stopping right in front of it. He looked out at the sunrise, amazed by what a lovely sight he thought it was. He had watched sunsets from the smaller island with Kairi lots of times, but they had never watched a sunrise together. Sora decided that within the time they were going to spend together, he would take Kairi out to watch a sunrise. He was sure she would like it.

Sora let out a yawn and his eyes drooped, then he quickly shook his head to try to get rid of the tiredness he was feeling. _I'm not gonna fall asleep this time, _he thought wearily, running his fingers through his hair. _I need to be standing here, wide awake, for Kairi…I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep under the sun again._

Trying to take his mind off what had happened to him so that he would not be feeling upset in front of Kairi, Sora looked up at the sun again. _I don't know what time they said they'd be here, but I told them to come in the morning. They're probably still asleep now. I'll be sure not to be when Kairi comes. _

* * *

The rays of sunshine shone through Kairi's bedroom window and into the fifteen-year old girl's face, stirring her from her sleep. Slowly opening her eyes, Kairi yawned and tiredly sat up. She rubbed her eyes, then ran her hand through her soft red hair. She quickly remembered the previous night and smiled softly, thinking about walking hand in hand with Sora, having a meal with him and dancing with him. It had been a wonderful night for Kairi.

She was now going to have a wonderful day, which had only just begun and was to be spent entirely with Sora. The smile on her face changing to a grin, Kairi threw the duvet off herself and jumped to her feet. She was not expecting Sora to be down at the smaller island yet, but she wanted to get ready quickly so that she could go there quickly, meet up with him and start the second enjoyable day of their fortnight of fun.

* * *

Once she was dressed in her halter top, mini-dress and shoes, Kairi walked out of her bedroom. She left the door of it wide open as she raced as quickly as she could down the corridor, only slowing down at little bit when she had begun to make her way down the staircase. The handbag she had taken out with her to Night Sky was still sitting by itself on the ground floor. As she stepped off the bottom step, Kairi picked up the handbag by its strap, opening it up to pull out the hairbrush she had been using on her hair before Sora had arrived at her house the evening before.

Running back up the stairs, Kairi returned to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. She stood in front of the dressing mirror she had taken from her father's room, beginning to brush the tangles out of her hair with the hairbrush. This time, however, she only spent five minutes in front of the mirror making sure that she looked presentable for Sora.

Kairi turned around to place the hairbrush onto the wooden desk, managing to see through the bedroom window how well the weather was. The sun was high in the sky, which was a bright blue, which had very few clouds that were all of a small size. _It's a lovely day, _Kairi thought cheerily, giving a small smile towards the bright atmosphere she could see out through the window. _I wonder what me and Sora will be doing today? I'd better have breakfast quick. I'm bet he isn't even up yet - but I can't wait to see him! I just know that we're gonna have a good day._

After she had finished her quick breakfast of toast, Kairi was standing in front of the door to her house, taking her key out of her handbag, which she dropped to where it had been sitting the floor. Using the key, she unlocked the door and pulled it open, allowing the birght daylight to enter her house. Kairi stepped out onto the doorstep and pulled the door shut behind her, locking it up securely before slipping the key into her pouch. She turned away and sprinted down the path in her garden, still excitedly wondering what she and Sora would possibly be doing through out the day.

"Kairi!"

The girl had managed to make her way through the gateway when she heard a nearby voice calling her name. In her surprise, Kairi stopped where she was. She looked towards her right - which was where the voice had come from – to see Selphie running cheerfully towards her.

Stopping in front her red-haired friend, Selphie looked with wide eyes up at Kairi. A grin had spread across her face. "How did last night go?"

Kairi turned away from Selphie and looked up at the few clouds that could be seen slowly floating through the sky. A soft smile crept upon her face as she remembered everything she did with the boy she loved. "It was wonderful, Selphie. Sora took me to an amazing restaurant. The two of us had dinner together...and then...we danced."

"You danced?" Selphie beamed happily, her eyes widening even more as they filled with amazement. "Wow! That's amazing, Kairi. I'm so glad you had a lovely time with Sora."

"Thank you, Selphie." Kairi turned around to smile gratefully at her younger friend.

"So where is he taking you now?"

"I don't know - but I'm sure it'll be wonderful. Sora knows how to surprise me."

"And he knows how to make you happy, huh?" Selphie smiled softly.

"Yes. And he always has made me happy...ever since we met." Kairi's smile faded and she looked down at the ground, thinking about what was wrong with Sora while he was doing so many wonderful things for her. "I...don't know what I'd do...without Sora. I'd...never be happy again."

Selphie could tell Kairi was thinking about the fact that she could lose Sora. It made her feel sad as well, but not wanting her friend to be sad when she was supposed to be enjoying herself, Selphie held her smile. Stepping forward, she placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder, making the fifteen-year old girl look up at her. "You're on your way to meet Sora now, right?"

Kairi gave a sniff as she nodded.

"Well, you'd best get going, or he'll be waiting for you. And don't let him see you like this. He wants you to be happy. The two of you are going to have a lovely time together. Don't be sad, or Sora will think he's letting you down."

"You're right, Selphie." The smile had just disappeared from Kairi's face returned as she reached up to wipe away the single tear that had escaped from her eye. "And Sora is not letting me down. He is making me so happy."

"Well, you go and have a happy day with him. Don't waste it talking to me."

"Oh, Selphie. Don't say that." Kairi pulled the younger girl into a hug. She closed her eyes, a soft smile on her face. "I'm so happy to get to talk to you."

Selphie blinked in surprise and hugged Kairi back, feeling very puzzled by what she was saying about her. "Why?"

Kairi pulled away and looked at her friend with serious eyes. She placed her hands gently onto Selphie's shoulders. "I was very horrible to you and Tidus when I learnt you knew where Sora was when I didn't. And despite this, you have been very supportive towards me in a time where I'm afraid to lose Sora. Thank you, Selphie. You really are a great friend."

Selphie smiled modestly. "It's okay, Kairi. I'm just being here for my friend. Now go and find Sora. The two of you have a lovely day."

"We will." Kairi turned away and began to race down the street, but looked over her shoulder back towards Selphie, raising a hand as she ran. "See you, Selphie!"

"Bye, Kairi," Selphie whispered softly, smiling as she waved back towards her friend and watching her race down the sidewalk until she disappeared around the right corner at the end of the street. Selphie was very glad Kairi was enjoying her time was Sora - and she was also happy to have been able to support her.

* * *

Kairi's narrow boat was soon rowed up to one of the pier's legs. She had just been rowing as quickly as she could across the sea and away from the main island to arrive at the smaller one. She had not taken in much of the sights of the sea under the morning sky – which was something she hardly ever did whenever she was going to the smaller island just to meet Sora. Her excitement had grown when she had spotted the pier and had began to row up to it – somehow not noticing that there was another boat tied there. She grinned widely and happily as she took hold of the end of the rope that was dangling from the wooden leg in front of her, tying it quickly to the front of her boat.

The ladder which led up the side of the pier to the top was to the left side of Kairi's boat and was within her reach. Turning towards it, her back to the other boat that was sitting right next to hers, Kairi took hold of each side of the ladder, gripping them both tightly as she lifted up her feet to place them onto the bottom rung. She climbed up quickly, her grin still wide as she knew the amount of time left to see Sora would not last for much longer, as she pulled herself onto the pier. Standing on the wood, Kairi took a few steps over to the other side - and was surprised and delighted to spot Sora standing at the shore. He was looking out towards the sea, seemingly not realizing she had arrived on the island.

Kairi's eyes lit up and she grinned happily. Turning quickly to her left, she ran along the pier from the front to the rear, sprinting down the steps and across the sand towards where the boy was standing. As he was just turning around to find out who was running towards him, Kairi had made her way up to him and was now throwing her arms around him. "Sora!"

His jaw falling open, Sora looked down at Kairi, stunned, as she rested her head against his chest. He smiled down at her, gently hugging her back. "Hi, Kairi."

Keeping her head on his chest, Kairi closed her eyes as she smiled softly. "I'm so happy to see you."

Sore let off a chuckle. "You saw me last night."

"Yeah...but I'm always happy to see you." Kairi gazed up at the boy, keeping her arms wrapped around him. "Have you been waiting long?"

"I've been here since sunrise."

"Sunrise?" Kairi remarked, her smile disappearing as she blinked in surprise. "Did you want me to be here by sunrise?"

"Well, not really. But the last two times you came here, I was not there, and you were waiting for me all day." Sora gave a sigh, feeling very disappointment with himself as he looked out at the sea in shame. "I had to make sure I would be here this time."

Kairi smiled up at Sora and placed a hand on his cheek, turning his head to make him look down at her. She saw both of his cheeks turning red as she gently caressed the one she ha placed her hand on. "I knew you would be here, Sora. I knew you wouldn't let me down."

Blushing harder, Sora smiled back down at Kairi. "I made sure not to fall asleep. I stayed awake and watched the sunrise."

"What was it like?" Kairi wished she had been up at sunrise. The thought of watching one with Sora sounded wonderful to her.

"It was very beautiful." Sora broke the hug and took both of Kairi's hands in his. "But I wanted to share it with you. I want us to get to watch a sunrise together. Would you like that?"

Kairi grinned widely and nodded up at the boy. "I would _love _that, Sora! That would be lovely!"

"Then do it, we shall!" Sora grinned back, feeling very happy that he would get to watch a sunrise with Kairi by his side. "I promise!"

"So what are we doing today?" Kairi asked, the grin remaining on her face.

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud rumbling noise which came from the sky. The sound of it being very familiar to him, he looked up with Kairi to see an airship flying low above the sea towards the island. He smiled up towards it, feeling very glad to see the ship. It was easy for him to recognise due to its unusual shape and its bright colours: it was the Gummi Ship.

The two teenagers watched wordlessly as the large airship flew towards the smaller island, beginning to descend in the air. It floated slowly over the sea, flying just a few inches above the sand as it made its way onto the beach before finally landing gently and coming to a stop. The sound of its engines continued for a few seconds, then slowly died down as they were switched off from inside.

Both of them amazed by the sight of the Gummi Ship, Sora and Kairi walked over to its port side. They saw the entrance door – and they jumped together with surprise as it suddenly opened. To their delight, two familiar figures emerged from the ship. They stood side by side on the sand, smiling at the two teenagers.

"Sora! Kairi!" Donald cried excitedly, running over to Sora and giving him a friendly hug. The white duck was dressed in his blue jacket with his matching blue sailor hat. As he looked at Sora with his blue eyes while hugging him, a wide smile crept upon his yellow beak. He was very happy to see his former companion again.

"Hi, Donald!" Sora chuckled happily, hugging Donald back tightly. "It's been far too long."

"It's only been two weeks," Goofy laughed in amusement, coming up behind Donald and grinning down at Sora. He scratched some of his black fur at the back of his head, then straightened up the orange tear drop-shaped hat he was wearing, along with his green sweater, black sleeveless jacket, yellow trousers, white gloves and brown shoes with white tips. He tapped one of his buck teeth sheepishly. "But we sure have missed ya, Sora!"

"I've missed you guys, too," Sora replied, pulling away from Donald gently. "And...I sure hope you don't mind helping out."

"Not at all," Goofy booming cheerily, walking over to Sora and patting him on the back gently. "We're very happy to help ya!"

Donald nodded in agreement. "And the King will be glad to see you."

Kairi, who had been smiling silently upon seeing Donald and Goofy again, turned to look at Sora curiously. It was very nice to see her old friends again, but she had no idea why they had travelled all the way to their world in their Gummi Ship. She also did not know what Donald meant about the King seeing them, but she was sure Sora would tell her, as it was probably something he had arranged. "What's going on, Sora?"

Sora turned to face the girl, shooting a wide grin at her. "We're going to Disney Castle. Yesterday, before I went shopping with Mom, I wrote to the King, asking if it would be okay if we could go over there. When I got home after we went out last night, I found my reply had arrived. He said it would be okay and that he would send Donald and Goofy to pick us up."

"And he's looking forward to seeing you again," Goofy added, grinning along with Sora at the girl. "He's been missing you both just as much as we have."

Kairi smiled softly and draped her arms around Sora's neck. "Oh, Sora. A day at Disney Castle? That sounds wonderful."

Sora returned the smile down at the girl, forgetting Donald and Goofy were watching. He hugged Kairi back tightly. "I'm glad you like the sound of that, Kairi."

Donald and Goofy watched in amusement as Sora and Kairi embraced. They folded their arms and looked at each other with small smiles.

"Gawrsh. Wouldn't ya say they make a sweet couple?" Goofy whispered quietly to Donald, trying not to be heard by the two teenagers.

Donald nodded as he looked towards Sora and Kairi again, watching them hold each other in their arms. He had always known, during his many adventures with Sora and Goofy, how much the boy cared about the girl and how protective he was towards her. The hug they were sharing now was not the first one Donald had seen, as he had witnessed them embrace each other when they had finally reunited in the Castle That Never Was after being separated for over a year.

The two teenagers smiled happily as they remained in each other's embrace, having not heard what Goofy had said to Donald about them. They had completely forgotten about the duck and the dog – along with everything else. As long as they were in each other's arms, nothing else mattered. They wished they could stay in a hug with each other for ever.

As they gently broke the hug, a person other than Sora suddenly appeared in Kairi's mind. She raised a finger, turning to look with hope at Donald and Goofy. "Wait, I have an idea! That is…if you guys wouldn't mind...and if the King wouldn't mind, either."

The smile on Donald's beak vanished as he stared curiously at Kairi, wondering what she wanted them to do. "What is it, Kairi?"

"Well, I was thinking...maybe...we should bring Riku along. I thought that perhaps he would enjoy the trip to Disney Castle, too."

"I'm sure Riku would," Goofy grinned with a nod, the sound of seeing Riku again making him feel even more cheerful. "And I'll bet the King would be happy to see him again. We've missed all three of you. If you all were to come along, it would make the King very happy - and the Queen, too."

Kairi turned to Sora, feeling a little nervous about what he would think, since he had been the arranged the trip just for her. "Would you like that, Sora? Would you want Riku to come along?"

"Hey!" a loud, surprised voice called from nearby, "What's going on over here?"

All of them jumping at the sound of the voice, which they had no trouble recognising, the friends turned towards the pier to see Riku standing on top of it. He was looking down in amazement to where Donald and Goofy were standing together on the beach. Turning away to run along the pier, he reached the rear end and took a jump over the staircase, his feet flying over all of the wooden steps and landing down heavily onto the sand. Riku ran across towards where his friends were standing, not taking much notice of his two closest ones as he stood in front of the duck and the dog, staring in shock at the two of them

"Hi, Riku!" Donald smiled at him as he raised a hand, happy to see the silver-haired boy again.

"It's so good to see ya," Goofy added happily as he shot a wide grin down at Riku.

"It's good to see you, too, Donald and Goofy," the boy managed to say as he finally smiled at his old friends. "But are you doing here?"

"Sora and I are going to Disney Castle," Kairi explained to him. "They've come to take us there."

Riku jaw dropped in shock. He turned to Kairi and Sora, slightly horrified. "And you're just going without me?"

"Actually, Riku," Sora grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "we were just going to ask you to come with us. Would you like to?"

Riku chuckled and walked over to Sora. He wrapped his right arm around the fifteen-year old's neck and, using his left hand, gave him a noogie. "I knew you wouldn't forget about your best buddy, Sora!"

Sora groaned in discomfort from the noogie. He could hear Kairi giggling softly. Riku let him go and he stood up straight, rubbing the top of his head with his hand. "Let's go then."

Goofy led the party into the Gummi Ship, closing the door behind them. He led them into the cockpit, where two seats were behind the controls at the front for the pilots. An additional three seats were behind the two pilots' one, having been added there for passengers.

"It's been two weeks since I've been in here," Sora remarked in amazement, taking in the entire cockpit as he sat in the middle passenger seat. "I didn't think I would be back in here so soon."

"You just sit back and leave the flying to us," Donald ordered him, sitting down in the left pilot's seat and looking through the wide windshield in front of him out at the trees at the back of the beach.

Sora nodded and took hold of his safety himself, strapping himself into the seat he was sitting in. He pulled on the belt firmly, making sure he was would not be falling out of the seat during the flight.

"Sora."

Hearing Kairi say his name, Sora turned to his right. The fifteen-year old girl was sat next to him, also strapped to her seat. She was smiling at him and holding out her left hand out towards him. Realizing instantly what she wanted, Sora reached out with his right arm, gently taking hold of her hand.

Kairi grinned softly at Sora and squeezed his hand. Neither of them noticed Riku smirking at them in amusement from the passenger seat on Sora's left, nor did they realize Donald and Goofy were looking back at them from their seats at the front of the cockpit.

Goofy turned away from them and punched a few buttons on the desk before taking hold of a joystick. "Let's get going to Disney Castle."

As the engines whirred to life, the Gummi Ship started to rise above the ground. It hovered for a while, then Goofy used the joystick to made it rotate one hundred and eighty degrees in the air so that it was facing the sea.

There was no time for the teenagers to get a good look at the horizon through the windshield. Goofy was giving one effortless pull on the joystick. The Gummi Ship began to ascend slowly into the air. It was making its way to the sky, getting higher up by each second and leaving Destiny Islands behind.

* * *

**So, Donald and Goofy are back, and I'm sure you can tell by now that King Mickey and Queen Minnie will be returning, too. What Sora and Kairi will get up to at Disney Castle remains to be seen in the next chapter. ;)**


	22. Return to Disney Castle

**Hey, guys. Here's the newest chapter, which was rather frustrating to write. Two days in a row, I intended to write it, but didn't get much of a chance, then I made a start the following day, spent ages writing, but didn't get to finish it, and then finished it the following day. I had no idea this chapter was going to be so long. I thought it was going to be very short. That's not the first time this has happened when writing chapters for this story. Hee hee. :P**

**Anyway, I sure hope you enjoy this new chapter. :)**

* * *

Kairi looked around in awe at the blue surroundings as the Gummi Ship travelled on its journey to Disney Castle. She looked through the windshield with wide blue eyes, amazed by how beautiful she thought the surroundings were. Her hand never left Sora's, keeping a tight grip on it. The feeling of his soft skin in her hand was better than looking out at blue surroundings.

Neither Kairi nor Sora said a word throughout the journey, nor did Riku, Donald or Goofy. Whenever Kairi would occasionally look away from the windshield to look at the boy whose hand she was holding, however, he would be gazing at her with a wide grin. Kairi would smile, her cheeks turning pink and her heart beating a lot faster than usual as she thought about how handsome Sora was, as well as how kind and selfless he was. They would not notice Riku smirking at them, due to them gazing at each other. Donald and Goofy were unable to look back at them, for they had to concentrate on flying the Gummi Ship. Despite this, they were well aware of Sora and Kairi's actions towards each other, and they would often take a few seconds to glance at each other and exchange knowing smiles.

* * *

At last, they could see a world in the distance. It looked very tiny from where they were, but as Donald and Goofy flew the Gummi Ship towards it, it appeared to increase in size as it came into better view. Once the Gummi Ship was close enough, the three teenagers' eyes widened with delight as they could just make out a white castle on the world.

"There it is," Goofy beamed, pushing a large lever on the control panel. "Disney Castle."

Donald turned to look back at the teenagers with a smile. "The King awaits your arrival."

Sora and Kairi's faces lit up as they saw the world come into better view. They turned to face each other with excited and happy expressions. Riku smiled smugly and lay back in his chair, closing his eyes. "He'll be even more pleased when he sees me, as he wasn't expecting me."

By the command of the lever Goofy had pushed, the Gummi Ship began to descend while still travelling towards the world. Kairi managed to turn herself away from Sora and looked in amazement at the white castle with yellow triangular flags, each on top of the blue roofs of the many towers, waving in the wind.

The Gummi Ship left behind the blue surrounding as it entered the atmosphere of the world Donald and Goofy had travelled a long way from. As it flew towards the castle, which was now much larger (to Sora, it looked larger than he had remembered), it descended towards the entrance to a tunnel, which was built in the wall of the castle. Its walls were built of grey bricks that matched those of the Gummi Ship hanger.

As the ship flew through the entrance of the tunnel, Sora, Kairi and Riku looked through the windshield to see that the tunnel was sloped and led down to under the castle. Sora smiled, knowing that it led to the Gummi Ship hanger.

Donald and Goofy flew the descending ship down the tunnel, keeping it above the sloping floor, and as it eventually passed through to the other side, Goofy quickly pulled the lever he had pushed to send the ship into descend mode back, and the ship flew just above the grey floor of the hanger for a flew seconds before Donald pulled another lever, bring the ship down the land gently on the floor and come to a stop.

While Donald and Goofy shut the engines down, Sora and Kairi, still holding onto each other's hands, took off their seatbelts. Kairi stood up, pulled Sora to his feet, and raced through the entrance door, which had opened, dragging the surprised boy out with her. She stopped and looked around, noticing the dark grey walls of the hanger and the cogs and gears that spun endlessly.

Riku came walking out of the ship and stopped beside Kairi, grinning. "Couldn't get Sora out of the ship fast enough, could ya, Kairi?"

Kairi looked up at Riku, an excited grin on her face. "I just couldn't wait to get to the castle."

"But you couldn't let go of Sora's hand, could you?"

"What's wrong with holding hands?" Sora asked with a frown, squeezing Kairi's hand. "We did it last night."

Riku's grin faded and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Where'd you go last night?"

"Sora took me to Night Sky," replied Kairi. "We had a meal there." She looked down at her feet, blushing softly. "And we danced. It was wonderful."

"You two had _a meal together_ and _danced_?" Riku asked, astonished, his eyes wide.

Sora nodded and looked down at Kairi, giving her a soft grin. "It was all just for Kairi."

Kairi smiled softly up at Sora, blushing even harder. Riku turned away from them and folded his arms, a satisfied smile on his face. Thoughts of his two best friends ran through his mind, but he didn't say a word. He was pleased what he had been thinking about Sora and Kairi for a long time was true, and he was very happy for them.

Sora looked away from Kairi and noticed that Riku had his back to them with his arms folded. He opened his mouth to exclaim, but didn't get a chance as Donald, who was just stepping out of the Gummi Ship with Goofy in tow, spoke. "Well, shall we go to see the King?"

"Oh, yes please!" Kairi nodded eagerly, a happy and excited smile on her face.

Goofy smiled at how excited Kairi was. He and Donald stepped in front of her, Sora and Riku. "Let's go!"

The duck and the dog led the three humans up the small flights of stairs in the hanger. They passed through the crown-shaped doorway before coming to double doors. Donald pushed and held open the door on their left while Goofy did the same to the door on their right.

As Kairi pulled Sora out through the doors, she gasped upon finding herself in the large courtyard that was in the middle of Disney Castle. She looked around in amazement, noticing they were surrounded by four white walls of the castle. She walked along the fresh green grass (still pulling Sora along with her), and looked around at the many different plant sculptures. She glanced over her shoulder at the entrance to the Gummi Ship hanger they had walked out of – which looked like a castle-shaped plant sculpture - before throwing her arms around Sora's neck. "Oh, Sora. Thank you for bringing me here."

Sora chuckled softly as he hugged Kairi back. "You don't have to thank me, Kairi."

"I do." Kairi looked up at the boy with a soft, happy smile. "For _everything _you've done for me, Sora, I am so thankful." She gently rested her head on Sora's chest and closed her eyes. "You really are my best friend."

Sora grinned softly as he reached up with one hand to stroke Kairi's hair. "And you're mine, Kairi."

"Don't forget me!" Riku chuckled, coming up behind them. Kairi and Sora turned to Riku and smiled softly at him, but kept their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

The duck and the dog strode past the three teenagers without stopping. "Let's go, you guys," Donald ordered.

Riku smiled in satisfaction at his two younger friends before running to catch up with Donald and Goofy. Sora and Kairi gazed at each other happily while still holding each other for a few more seconds, then they broke the hug and took hold of each other's hands before following Riku, Donald and Goofy, who were looking back at them as they walked and noticed that the two fifteen-year olds couldn't take their eyes off each other.

"Say, Riku," Goofy whispered to sixteen-year old, keeping his voice low so that Sora and Kairi wouldn't hear them. "Do you think Sora and Kairi would make a good couple?"

Riku turned to the dog, still smirking. "I've been thinking that for a long time, Goofy. They really do belong together."

"Ya think they love each other?" Donald asked quietly.

Nodding, Riku looked over his shoulder as he walked to look back at Sora and Kairi, who had no idea they were being talked about. "Of course. Anyone can see that they love each other more than anything, and they really would make a lovely couple. All they have to do is admit their feelings to each other. It would make them both so happy."

Riku turned to look forward so that no one could see his smile fading. _At least before what could happen to Sora, _he thought miserably. _If he really is going to die, then he and Kairi really should tell each other how they feel._

They stopped outside small double doors that were in the corner of one of the white walls of the castle. Donald and Goofy pushed and held them open as Riku walked in. Sora and Kairi followed, still smiling at each other and not taking any notice of anything else. Donald and Goofy stepped into the castle after them, closing the doors behind them. They were at the bottom of a flight of stairs that was covered by a long purple carpet with yellow edges. The white walls looked very dark, due to the only light coming from up the stairs.

Goofy pointed to the stairs. "Let's go to the Audience Chamber. The King and Queen are waiting for us there."

Donald, Goofy and Riku walked quickly up the stairs with Sora and Kairi following behind slowly. As they reached the top of the flight, daylight that was coming from arches that looked out at the courtyard lit up the white walls. They found themselves standing in a long corridor with the arches on their left and a wall on their right with a pair of tall purple double doors.

Walking towards the double doors, Donald and Goofy pushed them open. Riku raced in and Sora and Kairi walked in slowly. Donald and Goofy followed them inside and closed the double doors. The teenagers stopped walking, but Sora and Kairi were still smiling at each other, hand in hand, while Riku was watching them.

Their attention was finally diverted by a high-pitched voice from the other side of the large room they were in. "Hello, Sora, Kairi, Riku."

The three teenagers looked towards the back of the room. A large hanging fabric was dangling on the back wall. It was purple-red with yellow going around the edges. Three black circles were on the fabric; one large and the other two small. One of the smaller circles was on the north east edge of the larger circle, the other was on the north west edge. All together, the three circles looked like the head of a mouse the teenagers knew.

Below the hanging fabric, part of the floor was raised on a higher level. It was covered by a royal blue carpet. On the raised level of flooring were two gold thrones (instead of there being one, as there usually was). Sitting on the thrones, with delighted faces, were King Mickey and Queen Minnie.

Sora, Kairi and Riku gasped, all excited to see their friends again. They ran forwards and stopped before the King and Queen.

"Your Majesty," Sora addressed the King before bowing. Riku did the same and Kairi curtseyed.

"It's so nice to see you again," Queen Minnie squealed happily, beaming at the three teenagers. She was wearing her pink ball gown and gold crown with a red jewel symbol that was shaped like her husband's head on the front.

Sora stood up straight and turned to King Mickey, who was looking just as pleased to see the teenagers as his wife. "Thank you for having us, Your Majesty."

"No problem, Sora," the King smiled cheerily. He was dressed in his usual red jacket and trousers with yellow detailing that matched his large yellow boots. He was also wearing a large gold crown, which the teenagers had never seen before, on top of his head. "It's so good to see you all again." He jumped off his throne and looked from Sora to Kairi, then to Riku. "I know it's only been just over two weeks, but I've really missed all three of you."

"What did we tell ya?" Goofy chuckled to the teenagers, coming up alongside them. Donald came up beside Goofy and gave the teenagers a wink.

Sora smiled and bowed again. "It's good to see you, too, Your Majesty."

King Mickey jumped off his throne. He walked off the level of flooring that was raised higher than the rest and looked up at Sora. "Actually, Sora, I'm really glad you've come. I've got a very important task for you."

Sora blinked in surprise. "An important task? What is it, Your Majesty?" He clenched his fists and frowned. "Are the Heartless invading the castle again?"

King Mickey chuckled and waved his hand in front of Sora's frowning face. "No, Sora. No Heartless to worry about."

Sora's frown was replaced by a curious expression. He looked down at the King as he lowered his fists. "Well then, what do you want me to do, Your Majesty?"

King Mickey smiled up at the fifteen-year old boy. Reaching up with both hands, he took his gold crown off his head and, to the teenagers' surprise, placed it gently on top of Sora's head. "I want you to rule the castle for today, Sora."

"Rule the castle?" Sora looked up at the crown with wide eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. He took the crown off of his head and offered it back to the King. "Oh no, Your Majesty. I couldn't-"

"No, no." King Mickey gently pushed the crown away with both hands. "I want you to, Sora. I want you to rule the castle for today."

"Why do you want Sora to do that?" Kairi asked curiously, raising her eyebrows.

The King turned to the girl with a chuckle. "You don't know how boring it is to sit day after day in our thrones, giving orders to everyone."

"I thought that would be good," remarked Riku.

"When you've been doing it for as long as we have, you realise how boring it is." The King turned to the Queen. "That's why we want to spend the day in Disney Town to have some fun and enjoy doing some normal activities. But we need someone to run the castle."

The King turned back to the boy who was holding his crown. "And that someone we want to do it is you, Sora. We want you to be the King for today."

Sora looked at the crown. He liked the idea of being a King, even for just one day. His mind, however, was set on what was more important to him. He turned to Kairi and Riku. Kairi was smiling at him, as if urging him to accept King Mickey's offer. Riku's expression was one of disbelief, as if he was having troubling picturing Sora sitting on a throne, wearing a crown and ruling a castle.

Sora turned back to King Mickey. "But what about Kairi and Riku? I brought them over here to enjoy themselves. What can they do if I'm ruling the castle?"

"We were glad to hear you were bringing, Kairi," smiled Queen Minnie, standing up and walking off the raised level of flooring. "Because she can rule the castle, too."

"I can?" Kairi blinked in surprise.

Queen Minnie nodded and stood in front of the girl. She reached up, took her crown off her head and offered it to Kairi. "We want you to be the Queen for today, Kairi."

Kairi gasped, looking at the Queen's crown in amazement, unable to believe she was being offered to wear it and rule the castle. Taking the crown from Queen Minnie, she rotated it so that the jewel shaped like King Mickey's head was facing Queen Minnie, then placed it on top of her head. Smiling happily, Kairi curtseyed before the Queen. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Queen Minnie smiled proudly up at the girl and curtseyed. "_I_ should be calling _you_ that."

Kairi giggled and turned to Sora. "Look, Sora. I'm Queen for today."

Sora smiled at Kairi, thinking she looked very beautiful with Queen Minnie's crown on top of her head. "That crown looks nice on you, Kairi."

"Thank you, Sora," replied Kairi, giggling again. "Try yours on."

Sora grinned widely, his mind now made up. Quickly, he placed the King's crown on top of his head. "How do I look, Kairi?"

Kairi squealed in excitement. "You look awesome, Sora!"

"Thanks! We're gonna do this important task!" Sora turned to King Mickey and Queen Minnie. "The King and Queen need us to."

"But you two are the King and Queen now," remarked King Mickey, pointing at Sora and Kairi with a smile.

Sora and Kairi looked at each other, their mouths hanging open. They realized that with Sora being King and Kairi being Queen, it would be as if the two of them were a married couple. They quickly turned away from each other so that neither of them could see the smiles on each other's faces or their cheeks turn red at the thought of the two of them being husband and wife.

"What about me?" Riku asked in an annoyed tone, stepping forward. "If Sora's gonna be King and Kairi's gonna be Queen, what am I gonna be?"

King Mickey's smile faded. He turned to Queen Minnie, who looked down shamefully at her feet. "Sorry, Riku," she apologized. We didn't know you were coming, too. If we'd known, we would have given you something to do."

"But don't worry." The smile returned to King Mickey's face as he turned to Sora. "I trust the King will give you something to do. Won't you, Your Majesty?"

"Oh, yes," Sora grinned, enjoying being King already. He turned to Riku with a wink. "I know just what you can do, Riku."

Riku smiled, knowing Sora would not leave him out and wondering what he would have him do.

King Mickey and Queen Minnie stepped to the right of the teenagers. With his right hand, King Mickey pointed to the two thrones. "Take your thrones."

Sora and Kairi glanced at each other, smiling softly. Side by side, they walked onto the raised level of flooring. Sora sat down in the throne on the right while Kairi sat in the one on their left. Once seated, they took hold of each others' hands and smiled at each other again before facing King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Riku, who were looking up at them in awe.

"Oh my!" Queen Minnie cried ecstatically. "You two look wonderful!"

"You sure do look great up there," smiled Goofy, giving the two fifteen-year olds thumbs up.

"And I just know you'll make a great King and Queen," said King Mickey softly.

"Thank you," Sora and Kairi replied in unison. They turned to each other again, grinning softly. They noticed that they were both blushing, and upon seeing this, they both shared a soft giggle.

King Mickey turned to Donald and Goofy, looking at them firmly, but also with a smile. "Sora and Kairi are the King and Queen for today. You two _must_ obey them and do what they say."

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Donald, nodding eagerly before giving a bow.

"No, no, no!" Queen Minnie giggled, waving a finger at Donald before pointing to Sora and Kairi. "You call them that now, Donald."

Donald stood up straight and smiled sheepishly. He turned to Sora and Kairi and bowed. Goofy did the same.

"Don't bother getting the door for us," King Mickey told the duck and the dog, walking over to Queen Minnie to take her hand. "We'll get it ourselves."

"Okay," Goofy grinned, raising a hand. "We'll see you at the end of the day."

"Have a good day in Disney Town," Kairi called with a smile, also raising her hand and waving.

King Mickey looked his shoulder up at her, giving her a wink. "And have fun ruling the castle with Sora, Kairi."

"We will," Sora grinned, squeezing Kairi's hand. The girl glanced at him to grin back before continuing to wave to the pair of mice.

King Mickey and Queen Minnie walked along the purple carpet that led out to the corridor. They looked over their shoulders and waved to their friends. The three teenagers, the duck and the dog all waved back, bidding farewell, then watched at King Mickey held the double doors open for his wife before stepping out into the corridor after her, closing both doors behind him.

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter wasn't that good, since not a lot really happens in it. However, the next one should be pretty fun, since our favourite lazy bum and Princess of Heart are going to be ruling the castle. And it also should be enjoyable, due to what Sora has planned for Riku. Find out what it is in the next chapter. :)**


	23. King Sora & Queen Kairi

**Now then, let's find out what happens when you make Sora and Kairi the King and Queen of Disney Castle for the day! Hope you enjoy! :D**

* * *

Sora grinned widely as soon as the double doors to the Audience Chamber had closed. He knew that he was now King – which meant Kairi was now his Queen. He was very excited, as they were about to start ruling the castle – together. Although he liked the thought of being King, Sora knew he would not have been as happy to do the task without Kairi as his Queen.

As he was gazing at the doors, Sora did not notice Kairi looking up at him, her cheeks bright pink and a smile on her face. She was proud of Sora. She was sure he was going to be a good King for the day. She was not sure if she would make a good Queen, but that did not matter to her. What was most important was that she was Sora's Queen. Kairi's heart was beating faster at the thought being in a position as if she was married to the boy she loved, even for just one day. It was like a dream she had always dreamed of, except it was real, which made Kairi very happy.

Donald, Goofy and Riku all turned away from the double doors to look up at their new rulers for the day. Donald and Goofy stepped forward and bowed, making Sora and Kairi share a giggle. They liked seeing their friends bow to them.

"What would you like us to do for you, Your Majesty?" Goofy asked, standing up straight.

"We shall serve you well," added Donald, straightening up and smiling at the two teenagers with crowns on their heads. "Whatever you want us to do for you, we shall do."

"Oh, um…" Kairi began to feel a little awkward. She did not like the thought of ordering Donald and Goofy about and telling them what to while she just sat on a throne all day. She had only been thinking about being Sora's Queen, and had thought nothing about being in charge of everyone. Kairi did not like telling people what to do for her, even if they were willing to obey her orders. She began to worry about if she was going to be a terrible Queen.

With a grin, Sora spoke to Donald and Goofy before Kairi managed to. "I want you two…to take the day off."

"The day off?" Donald and Goofy repeated in disbelief, their jaws dropping.

Sora nodded and folded his arms, still grinning. "That's right."

Goofy took a few steps forward towards Sora. "But, Your Majesty, we can't take the day off. We have to obey your orders-"

"And that is my order," smiled Sora, leaning back on the throne. "The real King and Queen are having a day off today from all the ruling they have to do. Therefore, you two should take a day off from all the duties you have to do."

Kairi looked up at Sora, smiling upon how kind he was being to Donald and Goofy. His selflessness made her feel proud to be his Queen, as well as think about all of the reasons why she loved him. The order he was giving to the duck and the dog was one she agreed to and did not mind ordering herself. Kairi turned to Donald and Goofy, nodding in agreement. "Yes, the real King and Queen told you that you have to do whatever we tell you. We are telling you two to take the day off. You two deserve it."

Donald and Goofy gazed at each other, their mouths hanging open. They enjoyed serving King Mickey and Queen Mickey, and had been looking forward to serving Sora and Kairi. They were amazed that the two-fifteen year olds were giving up the opportunity to be served by them to allow them to have the day off.

Turning to the King and Queen for the day, Goofy bowed with a smile. "Gawsh. Thank you, Your Majesty. We are most grateful for you to allow us the day off."

Donald nodded and bowed, closing his eyes. "We really appreciate it."

The two fifteen-year olds smiled down at the duck and the dog, glad to see they were happy and grateful for the orders they had been given. Raising his right hand, Sora waved. "Go on, you guys. Go enjoy your day off."

Goofy stood up straight and nodded. His grateful smile changed into an excited grin as he turned to Donald, who was still bent over. "I'll race you to the entrance, Donald," he said before turning around and sprinting towards the double doors.

"Huh?" Donald remarked, standing up straight, a surprised expression on his face. Turning around, he saw Goofy running ahead of him. Annoyed that Goofy had started their race without him, Donald angrily raced after the dog. Sora and Kairi giggled as they watched them disappear out through the double doors of the Audience Chamber.

Riku, who had been silent since King Mickey and Queen Minnie had left, turned to his younger friends with a small smirk. "So, Sora-"

"Um, Riku," Sora grinned, raising a finger. "That would be, 'Your Majesty'."

Riku chuckled, shaking his head. "Okay, sorry, Your Majesty."

"That's better."

"What am I going to do, since you said you had something for me to do?"

"I certainly do," Sora nodded, his grin widening. He did not notice Kairi looking at him wonderingly, as she had no idea what Sora going to have Riku do.

"What is it?" An excited grin appeared on Riku's face. He could not wait to hear what he was going to do, as he felt confident it was going to be as good as being King.

"Riku...you're going to be…our servant for the day!"

"_SERVANT?_" Riku cried out in horror and disbelief, his jaw dropping.

"Servant?" Kairi murmured quietly, seemly having trouble realizing Sora wanted Riku to serve on them.

"Servant," Sora replied with a smile and a nod.

"But – why do I have to be a servant?" Riku spat, disgusted with the thought of what Sora wanted him to do.

"You said you wanted to be something, Riku. Donald and Goofy are having the day off. You can be our servant and do what we tell you. Besides, we're the King and Queen. You have to do what we order you to do, whether you're our servant or not. I order you to be our servant."

Riku turned to Kairi, hoping she would stand up for him and protest against the idea of him being their servant. She just glanced wordlessly at Riku with her mouth hanging open, as though merely surprised, but not against what Sora wanted him to do.

Sighing in defeat, Riku lowered his head and closing his eyes, a hard frown on his face. "What do you want me to do for you, Your Majesty?"

Sora rested his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. "Make us some cupcakes."

"Cupcakes?" Riku looked up. "I dunno how to make cupcakes."

"Well then, learn, Riku." Sora looked down at his servant for the day. "I'm sure there's a cook book in the kitchen. Look for one, find a recipe for cupcakes which doesn't take much sugar and learn how to make cupcakes."

With a grunt, Riku stomped towards the double doors. He pulled the left door open, looked back at Sora to give him a quick frown of disbelief, then stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him, before going to find the kitchen.

"So that's why you gave Donald and Goofy the day off!" Kairi exclaimed loudly to Sora, unable to keep the giggles out of her voice.

"Well," mused Sora, trying to sound innocent, "they have been working hard for the King, and Riku did say he wanted to do something. I thought I was being nice to them both."

Kairi chuckled and shook her head. "Oh, Sora!"

Sora turned to her with a smile. "But seriously, once I decided that I wanted to spend the day being King, I decided that I would give them the day off."

Kairi smiled back softly. "That's so good of you, Sora. I knew you would be a great King, as you are so kind and generous. It was so sweet of you to allow Donald and Goofy to have the day off instead of serving us."

Sora's blinked, his smile faded. He was little surprised by Kairi's kind words towards him, stating how selfless he was. He did not often think about how good his own actions were. It was often Kairi, as well as Nikkou, who often told him how kind he was. Although he was not used to such complements, they made Sora feel good about himself.

"I was surprised you didn't take the offer of being King immediately," went on Kairi. "What made you change your mind?"

Sora smiled, his cheeks turning red. He was feeling a little bashful about telling Kairi that she was the reason he had changed his mind, but somehow, he felt he could not keep it from her. "You really wanna know, Kairi?"

Kairi nodded. "I would."

The boy took hold of her hand and squeezed it, taking her by surprise. "You, Kairi. You made me change my mind."

"Me?" Kairi asked with a blush, her blue eyes widening and her mouth hanging open.

"The thought of me being King…and you being my Queen…that made me change my mind."

The girl looked away, still surprised. She pressed her free hand to her heart, feeling it beating faster. She had fallen in love with the thought of being Sora's Queen the moment she had realized it would be as if they were married. She found it hard to believe that the boy she loved had only accepted the King's offer over the fact that she would be his Queen, rather than being allowed to rule the castle.

"Kairi?" Sora's smile faded as he frowned in worry, watching Kairi. He gently squeezed her hand. "Are you okay?"

Still turned away from Sora, Kairi smiled softly, feeling like she really meant a lot to the boy she loved. Slowly, she turned to face him, squeezing his hand back. "Yes, Sora. I'm okay…and I'm very happy, too. I'm enjoying being your Queen."

Sora smiled back, glad to see his Queen was happy.

* * *

The doors to the Audience Chamber were pushed open a little later, as Riku huffily walked in, carrying a large silver plate of twenty freshly baked cupcakes. Sora and Kairi, who were still sitting comfortably on the thrones and chatting happily, caught the smell of the cupcakes in the air. They turned to see Riku walking along the carpet which led to the thrones. Sora grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Our cupcakes are here."

Riku stopped just before the raised level of flooring. He held the plate up so that his friends could look at the cupcakes. Sora and Kairi could see that they were made entirely of chocolate sponge, topped with chocolate icing. To their surprise, ten of the cakes had the letter 'S' written in white icing on the chocolate topping. The other ten cakes had the letter 'K' written on them.

By their surprised expressions, Riku could tell they were amazed by the letters. "It didn't say to add letters in the recipe book," he exclaimed with a satisfied smile, "but I found some white icing the cupboard, and I thought that since these cakes were for the two of you, I would add the letters. What do you think?"

"Oh, Riku, they look wonderful," Kairi gasped, unable to take her amazed eyes off the cakes. "I can't wait to taste them."

Riku stepped onto the raised level of flooring and took a few steps towards his friends, stopping right in front of Sora and holding out the plate for him to take. "I sure hope you like the first cupcakes I have ever baked, Your Majesty."

"I'm sure we will, Riku!" Sora grinned, gently taking the plate from the sixteen-year old, looking hungrily at the cakes. "Are these low in sugar?"

"Yes, they are. Out of all the recipes for cupcakes in the cook book I used, this one had the lowest level of sugar."

"Good." Sora licked his lips. "Thanks for doing this for us."

"Yes, thank you, Riku." Kairi turned to Riku with a grateful smile. "You can take a break now."

"A break?" Riku remarked in delight. Having worked hard on the cupcakes and fearing he would have to spend the entire day serving on Sora and Kairi, he did not think he would be ordered to take a break.

"Only for a few minutes, Riku," Sora smirked cheekily. "After that, you can clean the hallways in the castle."

"Clean the hallways?" Riku pulled a face at Sora. "But they're already clean."

"Yeah, but I just want you to clean them anyway, since cleaning is what servants are supposed to do."

Riku frowned at Sora, shaking his head, then turned and walked towards the double doors of the room.

"Take your break first, Riku!" Kairi called after him as he walked along the carpet.

"Yeah, but keep a bucket and mop close to you while you're on it," Sora added, laughing mischievously. Riku looked over his shoulder and frowned at the laughing Sora once again before disappearing out through the double doors.

As soon as the doors closed, Kairi burst into giggles as she turned to Sora, who was still laughing. "You're mean!"

"I thought you said I make a great King," Sora replied with a chuckle, managing to gain control of his laughter. "And I'm doing what Kings should: giving our servant lots of jobs to do."

"But making him clean the castle corridors when they're already clean?"

"I thought King Mickey and Queen Minnie would be pleased when they came back to find the corridors even cleaner."

Kairi shook her head, soft giggles still escaping her lips. Her eyes then locked onto the cupcakes on the plate Sora was holding. She took a deep breath, and as the smell of chocolate entered her nostrils, her stomach rumbled.

Sora smiled, holding out the plate in front of Kairi. "Would you like the first cupcake, Queen Kairi?"

Kairi gazed down at the cupcakes, admiring how beautiful they looked. For a moment, she thought they looked too good to eat. The moment, however, soon ended, and Kairi picked up one of the cupcakes that had the letter 'K' on the top. She was sure it tasted better than it looked. Holding it to her mouth, Kairi took a bite out of it before chewing with a smile. "Mmm."

"Does it taste good?" Sora grinned widely, feeling even more excited to try one of the cakes.

Kairi nodded and swallowed, the smile still on her face. "It's lovely, Sora. The nicest cupcake I've ever tasted."

With her free hand, she picked up one of the cakes with an 'S' on it and held it out to Sora. "Try one," she said before putting her half-eaten cake in her mouth and swallowing it down.

Sora took the cake Kairi was offering to him from her and examined it in silence for a few seconds before taking a large bite out of it. "Mmm! This tastes wonderful!" he exclaimed loudly, his mouth full. The cake melted in his mouth as he chewed, filling it with the taste of chocolate. Crumbs were caked on the sides of his mouth and on his finger tips.

"They do, don't they?" Kairi nodded in agreement after swallowing down another cake with a 'K' on top of it. She picked up another one and took a small bite out of it. "I can't believe these are the first cakes Riku has ever made himself."

Sora swallowed the cake he was chewing and licked the crumbs on his finger tips off. "He's gotta make more like these in the future. These cakes taste wonderful – and to think they don't use a lot of sugar."

After swallowing the cupcake she was eating, Kairi turned to the boy with a curious expression. "Oh, why did you ask Riku to look for a cupcake recipe which didn't use a lot of sugar, Sora?"

Sora was just reaching for another cupcake with an 'S' on it, but his arm froze after Kairi finished her question. He turned sadly to the girl, then sighed and looked down at the cakes on the plate. "Well, Kairi, I can't eat that much sugar, can I? It would affect my…"

"Oh…" Kairi turned away from Sora, no longer happy and feeling heartbroken. During their fun, she had almost forgotten about Sora having cancer. Being reminded of it also reminded her there was a strong chance she would lose him. Kairi felt her eyes beginning to tear up. She was having the most fun she had ever had with Sora. She did not want their time left to end, so that they could have fun forever and the boy she loved would never have to leave her for good.

"Kairi?" Sora looked at the girl with worry, wishing he hadn't reminded her of him having cancer, as he could tell she was sad. "Kairi, turn to me."

Kairi turned to face Sora, a tear running slowly down her left cheek. Sora sighed and placed his right hand on her cheek to wipe the tear away. "C'mon, Kairi. Don't be sad."

Looking down, her expression still heartbroken, Kairi felt tears building up in her eyes. They were just about to fall when, to Kairi's surprise, Sora held a cake with a 'K' on it right up to her mouth. Kairi looked up, surprised, to see Sora smiling softly at her. "C'mon, Kairi. Cheer up. Have a cake."

Kairi looked at the cake. Noticing how close Sora was holding it to her mouth, she could not help smiling. She looked up at the boy, who was now grinned widely and nodding to her. Grinning back, Kairi opened her mouth wide. Sora placed the cake inside her mouth and pulled his hands away. Kairi closed her mouth and began to chew. Sora watched her eat, a soft smile on his face upon seeing her happy again.

Once she had swallowed the cake, Kairi picked up one of the cakes with an 'S' on it. She giggled as she held it to Sora's mouth. Letting out a chuckle, Sora opened his mouth widely. Kairi placed the cake inside, and once she had pulled her hand away, Sora quickly closed his mouth, chewed and swallowed the cake within a few seconds. There were more crumbs caked around the sides of his mouth. Noticing this, Kairi gently placed her hands on Sora's cheeks and wiped the crumbs away with her thumbs. The crumbs soon disappeared, but she continued to run her thumbs alongside the sides of the boy's mouth, gently caressing his cheeks. Sora smiled at the girl, blushing hard. Kairi smiled back, keeping her hands on Sora's cheeks for a few seconds, then giggled as she picked up another cake with a 'K' on it and took a bite out of it.

Sora laughed softly, picked up a cake with an 'S' on it, shoved it into his mouth (getting crumbs on his cheeks again) and leaned back in the throne as he began to chew. He was enjoying the cakes, enjoying being King – and enjoying having Kairi as his Queen.

* * *

**And that's what happens! Riku is given the task of being their servant and Sora and Kairi spend the day eating cupcakes. :P Not to mention, of course, enjoying being each other's King and Queen. :)**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure how long the next one will take, but don't worry, it shouldn't be too long, as my updates are getting quicker now. Stay tuned. ;)**


	24. New Transportation

**Sorry you've had to wait so long for this chapter. Like chapter twenty-two, this was very frustrating to write. It took me ages to do so, and whenever I kept trying to finish it, I would be called away, so this took me days!**

**I'm glad it's finally done!**

* * *

Sora and Kairi had no idea of how quick the hours had passed. They were too busy enjoying sitting side by side on the thrones, having fun by being each others' King and Queen. Their happy laughter and chatting filled the Audience Chamber. They did not realize that the sun was setting outside the castle and their time as King and Queen was almost up.

What they were also unaware of was that the double doors of the Audience Chamber were slightly pushed open enough to make a thin gap between them. King Mickey was behind the doors, having just returned to the castle with Queen Minnie. They had enjoyed their day in Disney Town, and King Mickey was now enjoying seeing how happy Sora and Kairi were, as well as how much fun they were having.

"Are they both happy right now, Mickey?" Queen Minnie was standing beside her husband. She was keeping her voice low, not wanting Sora and Kairi to hear them and know they were being spied on.

Still holding the doors open slightly, King Mickey pulled away. He smiled softly at his wife. "Have a look for yourself, Minnie."

Queen Minnie placed her gloved hands onto the doors as King Mickey pulled his own hands away. As she looked through the gap between the doors, she smiled to see the two fifteen-year olds sitting side by side on the thrones. Her ears perked up as she heard Sora let of a cheerful chuckle, which was followed by a soft giggle from Kairi.

Letting the double doors gently close, Queen Minnie turned to her husband, still smiling upon what she had seen. "You're right, Mickey. They really do look happy…and they look so sweet together."

King Mickey nodded. "Even if I'd known Riku was coming, I still would have given the task of being King in my place for the day to Sora. Not only did I know he would be a loyal ruler, I really wanted to give him and Kairi the chance to be in a position as if they were married."

"They really should tell each other how they feel," Queen Minnie said with a giggle. "We can tell that they share the same feelings. It's strange how they can't."

"I don't know, but if they were to tell each other, I know they would be so happy. And they deserve to be." King Mickey turned to Queen Minnie with a smile. "They are very good people."

"Yes, and they can be each other's King and Queen – everyday!" Queen Minnie looked down at her feet, noticing in surprise that the white floor, which was partly covered by the long purple carpet, appeared to be much cleaner and shinier. "Oh, Mickey, have you noticed the floor?"

The King looked down at the floor, quickly noticing how much more shiny it was than when he and his Queen had left the castle that day. "Wow! It sure looks a lot cleaner. I bet Sora had Donald and Goofy clean it."

"No, he didn't, Your Majesty! He had _me_ clean it!"

King Mickey and Queen Minnie's ears perked up to hear a grumpy voice coming from nearby. They turned to their left to see Riku walking along the carpet towards them, frowning huffily. He was holding a mop in his left hand and a bucket of soapy water in his right hand.

"Riku!" Queen Minnie remarked with surprise. "_You_ cleaned the floor?"

Riku nodded, placing the bucket and mop down onto the carpet. "Sora gave Donald and Goofy the day off. He made _me_ make him and Kairi cupcakes, then clean these hallways."

"Oh, that's nice of Sora," Queen Minnie smiled, "to allow Donald and Goofy have the day off instead of ordering them about."

"But it wasn't nice of him to make me clean these hallways when they were already clean!" Riku snapped in annoyance.

Queen Minnie was not listening. "And he and Kairi had cupcakes, too? How sweet!"

King Mickey took another look at the sparkling white floor before turning to Riku to grin at him. "Well, the floor sure is a lot cleaner now. I knew Sora would be a great King - and you make a great servant, too, Riku."

Riku looked at the King with an alarmed expression, shaking his head fast. "Well, now that you're back, I'm no longer Sora's servant! And I'm not gonna be yours, I'm sorry! Can you take your throne back please before Sora gives me another job to do?"

Chuckling, King Mickey pushed one of the double doors open. Queen Minnie walked past him and entered the Audience Chamber with a smile, followed by Riku. Sora and Kairi were still sitting on the thrones, chatting happily, but turned their attention to the front of the room when they heard the door close after King Mickey had walked in.

"Your Majesty!" Kairi remarked, seeing the two mice walking towards them. She jumped to her feet and stepped off the raised level of flooring. "How was your day in Disney Town?"

"It was fun, Kairi. We had a good time playing the games down there," King Mickey replied, stopping in front of the girl. He looked up at her and gave her a wink. "Did you like being Sora's Queen?"

Kairi blushed and nodded with a grin, which she shot towards the boy who had been her King, seeing that he was now struggling to pull himself out of the throne. "Oh, yes. We had a lot of fun. Didn't we, Sora?"

Sora managed to get to his feet and walked towards his friends, jumping off the raised level of flooring and landing in front of them. "We sure did! Thank you for allowing us to rule the castle for the day, Your Majesty."

"It's my pleasure," King Mickey smiled. "I knew you'd be a good King, Sora. I'm really proud of you for giving Donald and Goofy the day off."

Sora grinned softly and bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"And I'm also pleased by how much cleaner the castle is. I'm glad you decided to make Riku your servant for the day."

"But I'm not gonna do anymore cleaning for you ever again, Sora!" Riku bellowed loudly, folding his arms with a frown. "That wasn't my idea of having fun here!"

As the others all shared a laugh in response, Kairi smiled softly at the sixteen-year old. "But you have to keep making cupcakes, Riku. Those ones you made for us were lovely."

"They were?" Riku's frown faded as he raised his eyebrows. "I didn't try any of them."

"You should have," Kairi told him truthfully. "You're really good at making cupcakes, Riku. They were nicest I'd ever had."

"Yeah, thanks for making them for us, Riku," Sora added, grinning widely at the silver-haired boy. "I sure hope you'll make more lovely cupcakes."

Riku looked away from the others. He unfolded his arms and tapped his bottom lip in thought.

The double doors to the room were pushed open from the corridor. Donald came racing into the room along the carpet, followed by Goofy, who was walking behind him much more slowly.

"Your Majesty, we-" Donald began excitedly, addressing Sora, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed that King Mickey and Queen Minnie were in the room. "Oh, you're back."

"Yes, and you have to call _them _'Your Majesty' now, Donald," Kairi giggled softly, raising her hands up to lift the crown she had been wearing during her time of ruling the kingdom off her head.

Donald nodded to the girl and turned back towards King Mickey and Queen Minnie. Goofy stood alongside him, and they both bowed together before the King and Queen. The two mice nodded towards the duck and the dog, took a quick glanced at each other to share a soft smile, before turning back to the two teenagers who had been sitting on their thrones while they had been out at Disney Town. Queen Minnie saw that Kairi was already holding her crown out for her to take and King Mickey watched as his was lifted off Sora's head before the boy held it out towards him. The pair of mice smiled gratefully up at the two fifteen-year olds, taking their own crowns from them and returning them to the tops of their heads.

Realizing from the amount of time he had spent ruling the Kingdom, Sora knew that the day was nearly over. He turned to Kairi and Riku. "We'd better get going. It'll be getting late."

Donald quickly looked towards Sora, smiling widely. "Well then, follow us."

"We got a surprise for ya!" Goofy told the three teenagers, grinning down at them.

"A surprise?" Sora turned to the duck and the dog, an excited expression on his face that had been formed by what Goofy had announced. "What surprise?"

"You'll have to come with us to see it," Goofy replied, winking at the brunette-haired boy.

Sora smiled gratefully. He turned to the King and Queen, bowing before them. "Thanks for allowing us to come over."

"It's no problem," King Mickey smiled, raising a hand. "We're glad we were able to give you and Kairi had a fun day. Thanks for taking care of the castle for us while we were out."

Queen Minnie raised her hand and began to wave. "Have a safe journey home."

The three teenagers smiled as they waved back to King Mickey and Queen Minnie. They bid farewell to the two mice as they followed Donald and Goofy out through the double doors of the Audience Chamber, finding themselves standing in the corridor again.

Donald and Goofy let the doors slide shut behind them. They began to walk along the carpet towards the flight of stairs, reaching the doors that led to the courtyard.

As he took his steps slowly alongside Donald, Goofy looked over his shoulder at the teenagers. "C'mon! Your surprise is this way!"

Riku began to follow Donald and Goofy, looking down at the shiny white floor he had been cleaning as he walked along the carpet. Sora was about to run after the sixteen-year old, but was stopped when Kairi grabbed hold of his left hand.

The girl was grinning softly up at him as he turned his head to look down at her. "Thank you for another lovely day, Sora."

Sora smiled, blushing modestly. "All I did was bring you here, Kairi. It was King Mickey that made us King and Queen for the day."

"But I would not have enjoyed being Queen without you as my King."

Sora's eyes widened in surprise upon Kairi's words, which were almost difficult for him to believe. He found himself blushing even harder. "Really?"

"Of course." Kairi squeezed the boy's hand, smiling up at him and gazing into his eyes. "Thanks for being my King, Sora. I loved being your Queen."

Smiling in delight, Sore squeezed Kairi's hand back. "It's okay, Kairi. I'm really glad you enjoyed the day – and being my Queen."

"Guys!" Riku called to them in a loud voice. He was standing on top of the flight of stairs, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded as he sneered down in the direction. "Are you coming or what?"

The two fifteen-year olds smiled at each other in silence for a few more seconds before they turned towards where Riku had gone. Sora led Kairi towards the top of the flight of stairs, keeping a tight grip on her hand.

Once they had rejoined Riku, they followed him as he walked down the stairs. They found Donald and Goofy at the bottom, holding the double doors open for them. After the three teenagers had passed through, the duck and the dog stepped outside, closing the doors behind them, and ran ahead of the teenagers to pull open the doors of the entrance to the Gummi Ship hanger. Riku raced ahead of his younger friends and passed through the doors. Sora and Kairi, however, were now walking at a much slower pace, for the girl wanted to take a long look at the plant sculptures before passing through the double doors, which Donald and Goofy closed behind them as they stepped inside the entrance after the teenagers.

"We've been working on this surprise all day for ya!" Goofy explained to the teenagers, beginning to walk down the flight of the stairs with Donald at his side.

"Aww, you guys!" Sora groaned sulkily, following after them and pulling Kairi along gently. He was feeling a little disappointed with them. "We told you to enjoy your day off!"

"We did!" Donald beamed, looking over his shoulder at Sora. "We enjoyed building this surprise for you."

"Building this was how we wanted to spend our day off," Goofy added with a smile. "And then, when we finished it, we decided you should have it."

A wide smile appeared on Sora's face. He glanced excitedly from Kairi to Riku, who were both grinning at him, just as excited as he was to find out what their surprise was.

Donald and Goofy stopped at the bottom of the stairs and pointed ahead. The teenagers joined the duck and the dog, looked to where they were pointing – and shared a gasp of surprise.

In front of them was a small Gummi Ship, standing next to the one which Donald and Goofy had used to travel to Destiny Islands to pick up the teenagers and take them to Disney Castle. While it was much smaller than Donald and Goofy's, the new ship was identical to theirs. All that was different about it, other than the size, was the clear fact it had been built with bright red Gummi Blocks.

"We found these spare Gummi Blocks and decided to use them to build this ship," Goofy explained to the teenagers, turning to them and smiling proudly. "And once we had finished it, we agreed that we wanted you to have it."

"You can take it home with you," Donald added, "and travel to whatever worlds you want."

The teenagers all looked at each other with wide smiles on their faces, excited about receiving their own Gummi Ship. Sora turned to Donald and Goofy, smiling gratefully at them. "Thanks, you guys."

"Gawrsh, it was nothing," Goofy chuckled happily, blushing modestly.

"No, it was so kind of you," Kairi smiled softly. "You didn't have to do that. We told you to take a day off."

"And that was how we wanted to spend it," Donald laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "We really enjoyed ourselves when we built this."

Letting go of Sora's hand, Kairi walked over to Donald and gave him a quick hug to show how grateful she was for the Gummi Ship. She let him go to walked over to Goofy and embrace him, as well. "Thanks, you guys."

"Oh, gawrsh," Goofy chuckled, blushing even harder as he hugged Kairi back. He turned to Donald, who was laughing quietly at how shy his partner was being, while Sora and Riku were turned to each other with wide grins on their faces.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, guys," Riku told Donald and Goofy. He turned to Kairi, still grinning. "Are you ready to go?"

Pulling away from Goofy, Kairi grinned back softly at Riku and nodded before turning to Sora, offering her left hand to him. Sora returned the grin and raced over to the girl, taking hold of her hand tightly in his right hand.

Donald let out a chuckle. "You won't be able to hold Kairi's hand for long, Sora. You'll have to fly the Gummi Ship home."

"But it won't be any different to flying ours," Goofy explained, pointing to the bigger Gummi Ship that belonged to him and Donald. He walked over to the small red one and, taking hold of a small handle that was on the side of the ship, pulled open its door that served as the entrance. "You won't have any trouble learning how to fly this one, Sora."

Pulling Kairi gently towards their new Gummi Ship, Sora stood in front of Donald and Goofy, smiling at them. "Thanks for everything you've done for us today, you guys."

"No problem," Donald replied, "and thank _you _for giving us the day off."

"You're welcome," Kairi said, raising her free hand and beginning to wave to them. "Bye, you guys."

Sora grinned at Donald and Goofy. He began to wave to them with his left hand while squeezing Kairi's. "Bye, Donald. Bye, Goofy."

"Bye, friends," Riku added with a smile, standing alongside Sora and Kairi as he waved to Donald and Goofy.

The duck and the dog smiled at their human friends and began to wave. They felt a little sad to see them leave, but they were proud of themselves for giving them a leaving present.

Whilst still waving, Sora and Kairi stepped into their new Gummi Ship, keeping a tight hold of each other's hands. Riku climbed in after them. He taking hold of the door handle that was inside the ship and pulled the side door shut behind them.

Walking towards the front of the Gummi Ship, the teenagers found themselves inside a cockpit similar to the one in Donald and Goofy's ship. The only difference was that everything was red. There were even three swivel chairs in front of the control desk that were made of red leather and plastic.

Sora walked towards the chairs, pulling Kairi along with him. He sat in the middle chair while the girl sat in the one on his right. Sora examined the levers and buttons on the control desk, noticing that they all matched those on the control desk of Donald and Goofy's Gummi Ship, which he had flown numerous times. All that was different about these controls was that they were built onto a red desk, which wouldn't affect his ability to fly the ship back to Destiny Islands.

Riku sat down in the seat on Sora's left, which he strapped himself into with the safety belt. "Will you be able to fly this, Sora?"

"Yes, it's no different to flying Donald and Goofy's Gummi Ship. I'll be able to fly us home," Sora announced confidently, smiling as he strapped himself into his seat. He turned to Kairi, noticing that she had not put on her safety belt yet. "Strap yourself in, Kairi. We have to make sure you're safe throughout the flight."

Kairi giggled softly at how concerned Sora was for her safety. After strapping herself to her seat with her safety belt, she watched as Sora punched a few buttons on the control desk before he hold of a joystick. The teenagers felt the chairs they were sbitting in began to vibrate as the ship's engines started up. The ship slowly rose above the ground, then hovered.

Sora quickly pulled the joystick back, and the ship began to fly upwards out of the hanger, heading into the tunnel that would lead them outside of the castle grounds. The fifteen-year old boy tightened his grip on the joystick, keeping the bottom of the ship from hitting the sloping ground as it slowly flew up the tunnel.

Once it made its way out through the other end of the tunnel, the Gummi Ship began to leave Disney Castle behind as it flew up into the air. For a few moments, the teenagers found themselves looking into the blue of the sky - but it was soon replaced by an entirely blue atmosphere as they departed from the world they had visited.

* * *

The teenagers were silent throughout the journey to allow Sora to concentrate on flying the Gummi Ship back to Destiny Islands. His blue eyes were looking through the windshield in front of him, keeping his mind fixed on flying the ship. He did not notice Kairi grinning softly at him, as she was no longer interested in looking out at the blue atmosphere. Riku was looking through the windshield for most of the journey, but would glance at Kairi, and then quickly look away to smile to himself about how she could not stop grinning at Sora.

* * *

Destiny Islands soon came into view through the windshield. Sora, Kairi and Riku could from up in the atmosphere they were flying through their small home world was a blue sphere with a beach sitting on top that boasted brightly coloured trees, a sky blue waterfall and a pier similar to the one on the smaller island. Kairi and Riku smiled at Sora, who was now concreting on flying into the atmosphere of their home world and making a safe landing. They were very proud of him for managing to fly them safely back to Destiny Islands.

As the Gummi Ship entered the atmosphere of the world, the blue surroundings were replaced by a black night sky. The sun had only just disappeared beneath the horizon, but it had not taken long for the sky which had been orange while the sun had been setting to change to black. With the help of the full moon and the thousands of stars in the sky, the smaller island could be seen below, its beauty revealed in the dark atmosphere. The strong lights that were shooting down from a level in the sky even higher than the one Sora was flying at allowed him to see where he intended to land.

Pushing on the large lever on the control desk, Sora sent the ship into descend mode. It began to fly gently down towards the pier. As they flew just above a few metres above the sea, from under the ship, lots of water was sprayed out to its sides by the heavy blowing of the engines.

When the ship was finally floating just over the flat wooden surface of the pier, Sora pulled a lever that was much smaller than the one he had used to send the ship into descend mode. Coming down to gently land onto the pier, the ship came to a stop. The engines continued to run for a few more seconds, then the sound of them eventually died down as Sora switched them off with the turn of a dial on the desk. The loud noise that had been coming from the ship since taking off for the first time was replaced by the sound of the gentle waves that were washed onto the sand.

"Great flying, Sora!" Kairi cheered happily, punching the air before taking off her safety belt. "You got us home!"

Sora turned to the girl with a grin as he took off his own safety belt. "Thanks, Kairi. I've decided to use the pier as a landing spot. It's the safest place to keep our new ship, as it could easily get damaged by the waves here if we leave it on the sand."

"Don't want this beauty getting damaged," Riku laughed with an understanding nod towards Sora. He took off his safety belt, jumped to his feet and walked over to the side door. Taking hold of the handle and giving it a pull, he slid it open. He stepped out onto the wood of the pier, looking up at the many stars which lit up the sky.

Turning toward each other with reddening cheeks Sora and Kairi took hold of each other's hands. The boy stood up, pulling the girl to her feet, and led her out of the Gummi Ship to join Riku on the pier. Riku turned around to see that his friends were now standing on the pier. He walked back over to the side of the Gummi Ship of hold of the door's handle to slide it shut.

Kairi let go of Sora's hand to wrap both of her arms around the fifteen-year old boy's neck as she smiled up at him, still blushing. "Thank you for taking us to Disney Castle, Sora. I've have a lovely day."

"Yeah, thanks, Sora," Riku added, folding his arms with a pleased grin on his face. "I didn't really enjoy being your servant, but it was nice to go to Disney Castle and see our friends again."

Sora smiled at Riku before turning to Kairi as he hugged her back. "It's okay, you guys. I'm just glad you liked the day."

Riku watched silently as Sora and Kairi remained in each other's embrace, smiling softly at each other. Their bright red cheeks stayed the same colour as they broke the hug. The sixteen-year old boy noticed this, and it had caused him to feel a bit amused, but he did not plan on making a comment about it.

"Come on, you guys. We'd better get home," Riku ordered them demandingly, pointing down to the side of the pier which their boats were still tied to. "I'll lead the way back to the main island with my flashlight. You two just follow me."

* * *

The teenagers were soon walking back on the ground of the main island, heading past rows of streets to find the one where Sora and Kairi lived. Riku had decided that he would take them to their street before he would race off to the one he lived in. He smiled at the sight of his younger friends' hands once again being joined. He felt it was something he was going to get used to seeing when they were together.

"What are you doing tomorrow, Riku?" Sora asked him, looking away from Kairi and at the sixteen-year old.

"I expect I'll have to go out shopping with Mom."

"That's a shame for you," Kairi murmured, looking up at the silver-haired boy with a sympathetic expression. "I know how much you don't like shopping, Riku."

Riku nodded and looked away so that Sora and Kairi could not see the small smile that crept upon his face. He was actually looking forward to his shopping trip that was scheduled for the following day, since he was going to hunt for a birthday present for Sora. Presents for his friends were the only things that Riku enjoyed shopping for (other than presents for himself).

"Well, hopefully, you won't have to stay out too long," Sora grinned supportively, believing his silver-haired friend to be annoyed about going shopping and trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah," Riku muttered quietly, although he did not care how long he was going to spend shopping the following day. He intended to stay out all day until he found a good present for Sora.

They eventually came to corner of the street where Sora and Kairi lived. As the two-fifteen-year olds crossed the road and began to head down the sidewalk, still holding hands, Riku stopped and watched them walking away from him, passing through the dim light of the first streetlamp from the end of the street they had entered through. "I'll see you, guys," he yelled loudly after them. Thanks for taking me out, Sora."

"It's alright, Riku!" Sora yelled back, looking over his shoulder and waving to Riku with his free hand. "We'll see ya!"

"Bye, Riku!" Kairi smiled softly, looking back at the silver-haired boy and waving to him while still holding Sora's hand tightly. She was very glad Riku had joined them in their trip to Disney Castle.

Riku stood on the spot for a few seconds, waving to his friends with a wide smile. When they were thee streetlamps away, their backs to him, he began to walk again. He left behind the street his friends were walking together down, heading past the many rows again to find the one where he lived.

After passing many houses which mostly all had their cars parked in the driveways and only a few inside lights turned on, the two fifteen-year olds stopped outside Kairi's house. The girl looked towards the building where she lived with a disappointed expression, realizing that she would have to go in by herself. She turned to Sora, feeling a little hopeful. "Sora, it isn't that late. Why don't you come in for a bit?"

"I'd love to, Kairi," Sora sighed softly, looking down glumly at his feet, "but I've been out all day, and I think I need to spend a little bit of time with Mom."

Kairi's face fell. She lowered her head to down at the ground sadly, realizing that she was going to spend the rest of the night all by herself. She understood Sora's need to spend time with Nikkou, as it was possible that they would not be able to spend much more time together. Reminding herself of the reason why it was likely they would be unable to spend more time together made Kairi feel even more upset.

Sora lifted his head up to see the girl was looking sad. He gently squeezed her hand, smiling softly at her. "But yesterday, Mom told me you can come over our house for lunch on any day."

Kairi's ears perked up and her blue eyes widened in surprise and delight. She quickly looked up at Sora, an excited smile forming on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah. Why don't you come over tomorrow? We'd-"

"I'd love to!" Kairi cried out in sudden happiness as she threw her arms around Sora and hugged him tightly. "I'll be there! Thank you so much, Sora!"

Sora grinned, wrapping his arms around Kairi. "You're welcome, Kairi. Come over at any time. I'll be waiting for you."

Kairi nodded and broke the hug. She looked up at Sora with a wide grin, raising her hand to wave to him. "Bye, Sora."

"Bye, Kairi." Sora raised a gloved hand, beginning to walk away from Kairi and down the sidewalk. He looked back over his shoulder as he made his way to his house, his eyes having no trouble seeing the girl standing there in the dark street.

The girl watched as the boy she loved stepper further and further away from her. She saw him turn when he stood in front of his house, walking along his path through the garden. As he stopped in front of the door to his house, he turned to face her from the distance that stretched from her house to his. Kairi could just about see the large grin on his face, which made the one on hers widen even further.

With one final wave to the girl, Sora took some keys out of his pocket. He could be seen unlocking his front door, which he quickly closed behind him after disappearing into the house.

Taking out her own key from the pouch attached to her belt, Kairi unlocked her own door. After pushing it open, she stepped into her house and slipped off her shoes. Closing the door behind her, she locked it back up, returning the key to her pouch. The girl picked up her shoes and placed them at the foot of the staircase, which she proceeded to race up quickly to go to bed, ready to spend the following day at Sora's house.

* * *

**I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't that good. I don't like it that much, since not much really happens (and due to the fact it took ages to write). I think the start of the next chapter will be annoying to write, but it should get better once Kairi is over Sora's.**


	25. Old Present

**Hey, guys. I'm so sorry it's been a while since the last chapter. Here's the latest one, which I thought would be partly annoying to write. However, it came out differently to what I had intended, and I quite like it. It's a bit short, but I hope you'll like it as well. :)**

* * *

With a soft mumble, Kairi awoke the next morning. Having been in a deep sleep throughout the night, her eyes were only half open. Although she was feeling very tired, her mind was already wide awake, full of thoughts of having lunch with Sora – and wondering what they would do after they had eaten. Kairi was sure that Sora would not want her to leave as soon as they had finished their lunch. She did not know what they were going to do – but she was sure that it was going to be fun. A small, tired smile appeared on her face as her excitement grew.

Rising her arms above her head, Kairi stretched, gaining new energy for the day in the process. She threw the bed quilt off herself and sat up on the edge of the bed. She was dressed in her pink nightgown. She ran a hand through her red hair, using her free hand to rub her eyes, before turning to the dressing mirror, noticing that her hair had managed to stay straight while she had been asleep. She still felt the need to brush it, just to make sure she was presentable.

The hairbrush was resting on the wooden desk. Kairi stood up, walked over to the desk and picked the brush up by its handle. She stood in front of the mirror, then held the brush up to run the bristles through her hair, which was already straight and smooth without any tangles.

After running the brush through her hair ten times, Kairi turned around and placed the brush back down on the desk. She walked over to the cupboard, and as she opened the door to look for her clothes, something caught her attention.

Sitting in the left corner of the cupboard was a teddy bear. It was fairly small with soft brown hair. It was looking into space with black spherical beads for eyes. Beneath its round black nose was a small smile.

Kairi looked curiously down at the bear. It had been in the cupboard for years, but she had not taken notice of it since she had shut it up in there when she was nine-years old. She was now wondering why she was so interested in it, as well as how she had gotten it.

As memories flashed through her mind for the first in a long time, Kairi gasped in realization. Reaching down, she took hold of the bear and lifted it out of the corner it had sat in for years. Kairi stepped backwards and sat on the edge of the bed, unable to take her eyes off the bear's face. She had remembered how she had received it.

Kairi thought back to her fifth birthday. She could remember the day well: all of her friends were at her house, which had been decorated with balloons and banners reading 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'. Sora had been the last guest to arrive, and when he had walked into the house with Nikkou following behind him, having been let in by the Mayor, he had been carrying a box that was wrapped up in pink wrapping paper and tied up with red ribbon. After walking over to an excited Kairi and wishing her some birthing greetings, he had handed her the present, which she hastily proceeded to open. Having untied the ribbon and ripping off the wrapping paper, she had found a box, inside which carried the teddy bear. With a face of delight, Kairi had quickly pulled the bear out of the box, squealing happily. She had not noticed Sora smiling upon how happy she was with her gift. She had hugged the bear tightly, and had then pulled Sora into an even tighter hug, whispering her thanks.

Still looking down at the bear, Kairi smiled softly at the memory. Over ten years had passed, and Sora was still the kind boy who always wanted to make her happy he had been back then. She had played with the bear whenever any of her friends were unable to play with her. The days of playing with the bear stopped shortly after her ninth birthday. After a few weeks of just sitting on the bedroom floor and being ignored, the bear had been picked up by a nine-year old Kairi, who had been tidying her bedroom, placed inside the cupboard and had since remained there. The cupboard door had continued to open and close over the years, but Kairi had never taken any notice of the bear, so it had never been taken out until now.

The smile on Kairi's face faded as she closed her eyes in shame. She hated herself for shoving the present Sora had given into her into the cupboard and not having anything more to do with it. It did not matter if she was too old to play with it. It had been the very first present the boy she loved had given her. He had told her that he had picked it himself, knowing that she would love it. He had been right, but when the feeling of being too old to have certain toys had kicked in, Kairi had just shoved it away into darkness. She was relieved that she hadn't thrown it into a garbage can for it to be taken to a dump; she would have hated herself even more if she had done so.

"I'm sorry, Sora," Kairi whispered quietly to the bear, gently stroking its left ear.

The bear's soft brown hair reminded her of Sora's own hair. She imagined the boy's head in front of her, and it was his spiky brown hair she was stroking. In place of the bear's black beads for eyes were Sora's blue eyes, which were looking into hers. Instead of a piece of thread for the bear's smile was a wide grin, which could only belong to Sora. It was the sort of grin he would give when he was forgiving his friends.

Kairi smiled softly, a small tear of happiness leaking out of her eye. Forgetting that she was holding a teddy bear instead of the boy she loved, she pulled the bear into a tight hug, closing her eyes, the smile on her face widening. She was very happy to have met a boy who did anything to bring a smile to her face.

Opening her eyes, she found herself facing the bear again, for the illusion of Sora's face had faced. She did not mind, for she was glad to have found the bear. The fact that it had been given to her by Sora made it very special, so she was going to look after it well. Standing up, she covered the mattress of the bed with the quilt, which she had thrown back, then lay the bear down on the bed, its head resting limply on the pillow.

The girl gazed happily at the stuffed animal for a few seconds, knowing that she would defiantly have to give Sora a present for his upcoming birthday that had to be as special as the bear. Turning to her cupboard, she began searching for her clothes to get dressed.

* * *

Kairi walked cheerily down the stairs after getting dressed and washed. She was, once again, wearing her mini-dress and halter top. Her shoes were sitting together at the foot of the staircase, and as she stepped off the bottom stair, she slipped her feet into them.

_I'll have a quick breakfast, _Kairi thought to herself, walking around to head towards the doorway to her kitchen, her feet in her shoes. _Yhen I'll make sure I'm ready to go-_

Stepping into the kitchen, the girl looked up at the clock – and froze in horror. The displayed time was ten to twelve.

_Ten to twelve? _Kairi thought quickly in a high amount of shock and disbelief. She placed her palms to each side of her head as her jaw dropped. _I didn't sleep that late, did I? Oh no! Sora has lunch at twelve! I'd better get over to his house - now!_

Racing towards the front door, only just managing to stop herself from running into it, Kairi dived her hand into her pouch and took out her key, having left them in there the previous night, due to thinking so much about Sora. She unlocked the door and dashed out, slamming it shut behind her. She started to race down the path in her garden, then ran back to her front door, realizing that she had not locked it.

Once she had secured the door, Kairi dropped the key back inside her pouch while running as fast as she could along the pathway. She went out through the gate, but forgot to close it behind her. Sprinting down the sidewalk, she passed a middle-aged man, who watched her running down the street, wondering why she was in a rush.

Stopping herself outside the gateway of Sora's house, Kairi ran along the garden path before coming to a stop outside the front door. She stood where she was, gasping for breath, placing a hand to her heart, which was now beating a lot faster than before. She was very thankful to live only a few doors away from Sora. Even if she had lived in the street next to theirs, she did not think she would have been able to make it before twelve.

Regaining breath, Kairi ran her left hand through her hair. Making a fist with her right hand, she was about to knock the door when it was suddenly opened from inside the house.

Sora was standing there in the doorway, his hand on the door's handle. He was looking at Kairi in as much surprise as she was at him. "Kairi? Are you alright? I saw you running here."

"Oh, Sora. I haven't long woken up. I didn't want to be late. I know you have lunch at twelve."

Sora chuckled with a snort, shaking his head in disbelief. "Kairi, you didn't have to rush over here. I said to come over at _any_ time."

"Oh, well," Kairi grinned sheepishly, feeling very relieved as her cheeks turning pink, "the sooner I got here, the better."

Sora chuckled again, then with a soft smile, he stood back from the door. "Come on in, Kairi. Lunch is ready for us."

The girl nodded, feeling even more excited that her day at Sora's house had began. She stepped quickly into the house and Sora closed the door behind her.

* * *

**And what happens while Kairi is over at Sora's house remains to be seen in the next chapter or two. ;)**

**Sorry that this was quite short. My chapters have been getting longer over time, and that's one reason why updates have been taking long. So I'm going to try to keep them more or less on the length of the earlier chapters, although some will probably still be as long as the more recent ones. I'll try to make the next one more or less on this length so that you won't have to wait so long for it. :)**


	26. Sandwiches & Orange Juice

**Here's the newest chapter. Not a lot happens in it – but nonetheless, I sure hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The first thing Kairi noticed as she looked around the living room was that the wooden floor was a lot shinier than it usually was.

"You're going to have to take your shoes off, Kairi," Sora told her, slipping off his large boots, leaving him in a pair of black socks. He placed his shoes to his left side. "Mom's been mopping the floor. Last night, I told her you were coming for lunch, so she got up early this morning to find the bucket and mop."

"Oh." Kairi put a hand to her chin, feeling a little bad for causing Nikkou the trouble of making sure her floor was clean. "Your Mom didn't have to do that for _me_, Sora."

Sora chuckled softly, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter who is coming over for lunch, Kairi. It could be anyone from Riku to Tidus, and Mom would still go through the trouble to make sure her precious wooden floor is spotless."

"Sora!" Nikkou's voice called loudly from upstairs. "Is Kairi there?"

"Yes, she is, Mom!" Sora called back, taking a few steps towards the stairs, walking slowly.

"Hello, Nikkou!" Kairi called towards the stairs, staying where she was.

"Hello, Kairi! I'll be down shortly to see you. Help yourself to lunch! It's ready for you!"

"Thanks!"

Kairi took off her shoes and placed them next to where Sora's shoes were. She looked down at her feet, which were bare, before looking up at Sora, feeling a little nervous. "Um, would your Mom mind me not wearing any socks?"

"Oh, it's fine." Sora walked back towards Kairi and stood in front of her. "But the floor is still wet. You could easily slip and hurt yourself, Kairi."

Kairi looked away from Sora at the shiny floor. "I'll just walk carefully."

"No." A grin crept upon Sora's face. "I've got a better idea."

Kairi looked up at him in confusion, wondering why he was grinning, as well as what his idea was. "What is it?"

Without warning, Sora used his arms to sweep Kairi off her feet, causing her to squeal in surprise. He grinned as he carried the girl effortlessly across the wooden floor and into the kitchen, where he placed her down onto the grey stone floor tiles. On their right, up against the wall was the refrigerator, which stood next to the cooker, sink and cupboard, all of which matched its white colour. The four walls were painted crème. On the rear wall was the back door and a large window, which looked out at the green grass of the back garden and the houses of the next street. Standing on the two fifteen-year olds' left was a wooden table with four chairs; two on each side. Five plates of sandwiches were scattered on the table while two empty plates were sitting together in one corner.

Kairi was unable to stop herself from giggling upon Sora carrying her. "What did you do that for, Sora?"

"Well, I had to make sure you wouldn't slip, fall and hurt yourself," chuckled Sora, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, thank you," Kairi replied between giggles. "It was really nice of you – and I really liked it."

Managing to control his laughter, although still smiling softly at Kairi, Sora pulled out a chair from the table that was nearest him. "Here, sit down."

Kairi continued to giggle and nodded towards Sora. She sat down in the chair he had pulled out for her and giggled harder as he gently pushed her chair forward. He quickly sat down in the chair next to her, unable to stop smiling at her. Kairi gazed at him and smiled back, her cheeks turning bright pink.

Finally turning away from her, Sora reached for one of the two empty plates, placing it in front of Kairi. "Help yourself to some sandwiches."

Kairi turned to look at the sandwiches. "What's in them?"

"Ham, cheese, lettuce, pickles and jelly."

Sora stood up and walked over to the refrigerator. Opening the door, he pulled out a bottle of orange juice. He set it down on top of the cupboard, which he opened up to take out two glasses. Setting them down onto the cupboard, he unscrewed the top off the bottle of orange juice, then lifted up and tilted the bottle to pour the juice into one glass, then the other. After replacing the bottle top, Sora placed the bottle back inside the refrigerator. He picked up the two glasses of orange juice, walked over to the table and placed one in front of Kairi, noticing she had helped herself to one ham sandwich and one cheese sandwich. Sora sat down next to her, picking up the second empty plate and placing it on front of where he was sitting before reaching out to grab a lettuce sandwich, followed by a pickle sandwich, then a jelly sandwich, setting them all down onto his plate.

Kairi grinned to see Sora helping himself to sandwiches with vegetables inside. "You like pickles and lettuce?"

"I tried them for the first time this morning," Sora explained with a grin, picking up his jelly sandwich. "Jelly used to be the only thing I had in my sandwiches. But after tasting how good vegetables can be when we were at Night Sky, I thought I would try some pickles and lettuce. And I certainly did like them. But I insisted to Mom to make some jelly sandwiches, not just ones with pickles and lettuce."

With a soft giggle, Kairi turned to her plate to pick up her ham sandwich. She took a small bite out of it and chewed gently. She heard a loud chomp coming from Sora, so she turned to him. She was amazed to find there was a huge bite out of his sandwich, and that his cheeks were bulging out, due to his mouth being full. Swallowing, Kairi giggled again before taking another small bite out of her sandwich.

The two teenagers heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Nikkou walked into the kitchen, turning to Kairi with a smile. "Hello, Kairi. Is your lunch alright?"

Swallowing, Kairi turned to Nikkou, returning the smile. "It is, Nikkou. Thank you so much for having me over and preparing this lunch for me."

"It's my pleasure, Kairi. I'm very happy to have you over for lunch. And so is Sora, as you can probably tell."

Kairi turned to Sora, to find that he had shoved the remains of his jelly sandwich into his mouth. He chewed hard on it before swallowing it down. Hearing what Nikkou had said about him, he turned to Kairi and shot her a grin with a nod of his head, confirming what Nikkou had said was true.

Giggling softly, Kairi turned back to Nikkou. "But you didn't have to mop your floor, just because I was coming over for lunch, Nikkou."

"I _always_ wash the floor when a guest is coming over for lunch. I always want to make sure it is clean and shiny without a speck of dust or dirt on it."

"But you didn't have to do it."

"No, we would have gotten Riku to do it for you," Sora snickered quietly before taking a sip from his glass of orange juice.

"Sora!" Kairi turned to the boy with a grin, trying without success to keep in the laughs which escaped from her lips.

"Riku?" Nikkou looked at her son with confusion, although there was still a smile on her face, for she could sense something funny. "Why would he mop our floor, Sora?"

"Nothing, Mom. It doesn't matter." Sora shook his head and grinned at Kairi, who was still laughing softly.

Nikkou shook her head, still smiling, deciding to let whatever Sora meant drop. She turned to the doorway that led to the living room. "Enjoy your lunch," she told the two teenagers, stepping out into the living room.

Sora held up his glass to Kairi, who raised her own with a smile, knowing what Sora wanted them to do. They clinked their glasses against each other's before they both took a long sip.

* * *

The sandwiches on the plates were soon replaced by crumbs, for Sora and Kairi had soon eaten them all and had finished their orange juice. Wanting to have some fun, Sora moved his chair backwards and stood up. "C'mon, Kairi. Let's go upstairs and have some fun."

Kairi looked at the dirty plates before turning to Sora. "But…shouldn't we help your Mom wash the dishes?"

"It's okay, Kairi. I'll do them." Nikkou walked into the room, smiling at the fifteen-year old girl. "But I would like to have a word in private with you, please."

Kairi blinked in confusion. She turned to Sora, who was frowning at Nikkou. "What do you need to talk about with Kairi?"

Nikkou smiled calmly at her son. "I can't tell you, Sora. It's private, as I said."

"But-"

"Just go up to your room, Sora. I won't keep her from you for long."

Kairi turned to Sora with a nervous smile, wondering what Nikkou had to tell her. "Yeah, go on, Sora. I'll soon be up."

Sora glanced at Kairi in confusion, then let off a small sigh before walking out of the kitchen, heading up the stairs.

Nikkou walked over to the sink and turned on the hot and cold water taps. Water gushed out of both taps, quickly filling up the sink with only the plug stopping it from escaping. As Nikkou picked up a bottle of washing-up liquid to add some soap suds to the water, Kairi stood up and began to stack up the dirty dishes. Once all seven of them were stacked, she picked up the pile and walked over to the sink next to Nikkou, who noticed she was carrying the dishes. "Oh, thanks, Kairi. Just put them in the sink. I'll wash them."

Kairi gently placed the pile of dishes into the sink, which was already half-full of warm, soapy water. She turned to the table to pick up the two empty glasses which she and Sora had drunk their orange juice out of. She returned to the sink, which had no more space, due to the pile of dishes, so she placed the glasses onto the draining board before turning to Nikkou. "What do you need to speak to me about?"

Nikkou turned off the two taps before reaching into the sink with her right hand to take out one of the dishes out of the water. The dish was now covered in soap suds, as well as crumbs. A dish brush was resting on the draining board. Nikkou picked it up by its handle, dripped its bristles into the soapy water and began to wash the dish. "You know that it's Sora's birthday in four days, don't you?"

"Of course I do. How could I forget?"

Nikkou turned to the girl with a soft smile. "I know you would never forget Sora's birthday, Kairi." She turned her attention to the dish, letting off a small sigh as her smile faded. "Well, on the morning of his birthday…Sora has to go up to the hospital….to have some surgery performed on him."

"Oh…" Kairi placed a hand to her heart, feeling upset at being reminded at what Sora was going through. "It's to do with his…"

"Yes…" Nikkou nodded sadly, closing her eyes. "It's to do with his cancer."

Kairi quickly turned away from Nikkou, not wanting her to see the tear that was leaking out of her right eye. She felt her heart break over the fact that she was likely to lose the boy she loved. She was also upset that Nikkou was likely to lose her loving son. Kairi knew that the woman she was standing next to wouldn't be able to cope with the loss of another much-loved member of her family.

Quickly wiping the tear away, Kairi turned back to Nikkou. "Will he be there for the whole day?"

"No, Kairi." A small smile crept upon Nikkou's face as she turned to the girl. "He'll be back, and I've got something planned for him when he comes back…but I need your help."

**

* * *

**

And I bet your wondering now what Nikkou has planned which she needs Kairi's help for. I was going to reveal it at first – but I decided to have you surprised along with Sora. Hee hee. You might be able to work it out, or you might be surprised. One thing is for sure – you'll find out, eventually. ;P


	27. Day of Carrying

**Sorry it's been quite a while since the last chapter. Here's the newest one, which I hope you'll like.**

* * *

Sora stretched out on his bed, wondering what Kairi and his mother were talking about downstairs. He was anxious to know, even though Nikkou did not want him to hear. He was desperate to ask Kairi when she would rejoin him, but he did not want Kairi to feel awkward, as he knew Nikkou would remind her not to tell him. He wondered if he would ever find out what they were keeping secret from him.

_What are they talking about? _Sora thought in wonder, sitting down on his bed. He scratched his chin as his mind raced. _Why don't they want me to know what they are discussing? Is__ Kairi gonna be downstairs for long?_

* * *

"Can you do that for me, Kairi?"

Kairi grinned widely, excited by what Nikkou had asked her to do. She eagerly nodded her head. "Of course I can, Nikkou! I'm more than happy to do it!"

Nikkou smiled gratefully at the girl. "Thank you, Kairi. I'm so glad that we can do it. I know that with your help, it'll all go as I want it to."

"And I can't wait for it to happen."

"Me neither. Well, you'd better go up to join Sora. He's obviously waiting for you."

Kairi raced out of the kitchen, full of high sprits over what Nikkou wanted her to do. She turned towards the staircase, and started to run towards it, but her bare feet slipped on the wet wooden floor. With a startled cry, Kairi fell forward onto her front, hitting her left knee on the floor. "Ow!"

"Kairi!" Nikkou cried in alarm, putting the glass she was drying onto the draining board before running into the living room. She saw the girl lying on her front, clutching her left knee with both of her hands. "Are you okay?"

Upstairs, Sora's ears perked up. His jaw dropped in fright, for he had heard Kairi's cry of pain. Quickly, he jumped to his feet and raced out of the room. "Kairi?"

Sprinting down the stairs, Sora stopped at the foot of them, his eyes widening in terror. Kairi was sitting on the wooden floor, rubbing her left knee with a pained expression. Nikkou was sitting next to the girl, a worried look on her face.

"Kairi, what happened?" Sora cried, standing over the girl, looking down at her.

"I slipped and fell." Kairi looked up at the boy without taking her hands of her knee. Her face was scrunched up in pain. "I hurt my knee."

"Oh, this is my fault." Sora looked down sadly, putting his right hand to his forehead. "I wasn't there to carry you."

Despite being in pain, Kairi could not help blushing at the mention of Sora carrying her. She would have liked it if he had done so, but she did not want him to blame himself, as she knew it was not his fault. "No, Sora. It's not your fault."

"No, it's mine," Nikkou sighed glumly, looking away from the two teenagers. "I shouldn't have washed the floor. If I hadn't, this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, Kairi."

Kairi turned to Nikkou, a small smile on her face. "No, Nikkou. It isn't your fault, either. Don't blame-"

The girl was unable to finish her sentence. She let out a squeal of surprise, instead, as Sora was gently picking her up. She lay in his arms, looking up him with wide eyes, as he smiled at his mother. "It's okay, Mom. Just dry the floor and another accident won't happen."

Nikkou couldn't help smiling at the sight of her son carrying the girl in his arms. She let out a small laugh. "Okay, Sora. But make sure you don't drop Kairi. Especially down the stairs, alright?"

"I won't, Mom, don't worry." Sora looked down at Kairi with a wide grin. She grinned softly back up at him. She knew he would not drop her. She was safe in his arms.

Turning to the staircase, Sora walked up the stairs with Kairi lying in his arms. The girl reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. She was enjoying behind carried by the boy so much, she forgot about the pain in her knee.

Sora reached the top of the staircase and walked towards the door to his room. He gently tapped it with his foot, causing it to swing open. He carried Kairi into the room and, to the girl's surprise, gently lay her down on his bed, her head resting against the pillow.

Somehow, being released from Sora's arms caused Kairi to feel the pain in her left knee again. She quickly sat up and clutched her knee with both of her hands, turning to Sora with a weak grin. "Thanks for bringing me up here, Sora."

Seeing the pained expression on her face return, Sora decided he would have to try to make her forget about it. He gently placed his gloved hand over hers, taking her by surprise. She looked at him curiously. "What are you doing, Sora?"

Sora did not answer. He gently pulled away Kairi's left hand, followed by her right. He took hold of her left ankle, gently pulling on it to make Kairi stretch out her leg. He did the same with her right. "It's alright, Kairi. Just relax."

Kairi looked at Sora, a puzzled look on her face. She saw him moving his right hand towards her face, but she lay still, deciding to wait and see what he was doing.

She received her answer as Sora gently touched her right cheek with the tips of his fingers, causing her to blush deeply. As he began to gently stroke her cheek, her eyelids began to droop and she smiled softly, liking the feeling of his finger tips gently stroking her cheek.

After stroking Kairi's cheek for five minutes, Sora moved his fingers up to the girl's forehead. He gently ran his fingers left and right, smiling softly. He saw the smile on her face, which told him she was enjoying the massage, so he slowly moved his fingers into her soft red hair. As he started to gently stroke it, he watched as Kairi's eyelids shut. He wondered if he had caused her to fall asleep, but the smile remained on her face. The girl was enjoying every stroke of Sora's hand.

The boy continued to stroke Kairi's hair while she relaxed. Although he had stroked her hair many times before, he was still enjoying it as much as he done before. He wondered how it was that Kairi was always able to keep her hair soft and straight. It had always been naturally beautiful, as had everything else about Kairi.

Taking his right hand out of Kairi's hair, Sora placed it gently onto her left shoulder. He took hold of her right shoulder with his left hand. Kairi remained motionless, but mumbled softly as she felt Sora gently squeeze her shoulders before releasing them. As he began to give her a shoulder massage, she felt herself go limp as she relaxed. The massage Sora was giving her felt wonderful while the painful feeling in her knee had seemingly disappeared. Instead, Kairi was feeling relaxed and happy.

Giving her shoulders one last squeeze, Sora pulled his hands away. He smiled when he saw that Kairi looked relaxed, rather than in pain. He took hold Kairi's bare right foot with his left hand, gently stroking the sole with the index finger on his right hand. Kairi let out a soft sigh, followed by a small giggle, as Sora's finger was tickling her foot.

Sora repeated his foot massaging process on Kairi's left foot before pulling his hands away, standing up to look down at the relaxed girl. Kairi kept her eyes closed, as she was too comfortable to even open them. The smile remained on her face. "Thanks, Sora. That masage was wonderful."

"Did you like that?" An excited grin crept upon Sora's face. He had never given Kairi a massage before. He was very pleased she had enjoyed it.

"I loved it. Thank you."

"Well then, you can have another one."

Sora bent down quickly before starting to stroke Kairi's cheek with his right hand again. Kairi sighed happily, already enjoying her second massage.

* * *

After repeating the massage five times, Sora was about to give Kairi a sixth one, but was stopped by the sound of Nikkou's voice calling him. "Sora! Time for Kairi to go! It's getting late!"

Sora managed to tear his eyes away from the relaxed girl to look out the window. He was amazed to see that the sun had gone down and it was now dark. A bright moon was looming in the sky. Its silver light was shining through Sora's window, which was the reason why he had been able to see Kairi clearly in the dark room.

Sighing in disappointment, Sora turned back to Kairi, who was slowly opening her eyes. She was surprised to see that the room was now dark and that it was night time. "I have to go?"

Sora nodded glumly. "Yes, Kairi. Mom says it's getting late."

Kairi looked gloomily down at her feet. The day had passed so quickly, and she did not want to leave Sora. She tried to jump to her feet, but to her surprise, her body would not obey; she was too relaxed to be able to move. She tried to move her feet, but could only wriggle her toes.

A smile crept upon Kairi's face. She knew how she could get off the bed, and that the boy who would help her would not mind doing want she wanted him to do. "Sora, I can't move."

Realizing what Kairi wanted him to do, Sora grinned excitedly. He jumped to his feet, then gently cradled the girl in his arms as he lifted her up. Kairi smiled softly up at the boy, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Sora."

"My pleasure, Kairi," Sora replied happily, carrying the girl through the bedroom door, which was still open from when he had carried her into the room earlier. "How is your knee?"

"The pain has gone now. I feel able to walk, so when we get to your front door, you can just put me on my feet. I'll be able to walk to my house."

"It's okay, Kairi. You don't have to walk to your house," Sora told her, carrying her carefully down the stairs. "I'll be carrying you."

Kairi giggled softly, shaking her head in disbelief. "Sora."

The boy reached the bottom of the stairs, finding the room lit up by the ceiling lamps. He carried the girl to the front door, gently sitting her down next to their shoes on the wooden floor. Kairi was about to pick up her right shoe to put it on, but Sora grabbed it first before slipping it onto her right foot. Kairi squealed and giggled as Sora did the same with her left shoe.

As Sora put his own shoes on, Nikkou walked into the room from the kitchen. She turned to Kairi with a smile. "Kairi, how is your knee?"

"Much better. Thanks for asking."

"It's okay. I'm so sorry I caused you to fall."

"No, no. It's perfectly fine. And thank you so much for having me over for lunch. I really appreciate - Sora!"

Kairi laughed happily upon finding herself lying in Sora's arms once again as he lifted her off the wooden floor. He looked up at Nikkou, giving her the same grin he had shown Kairi. "I'm gonna carry Kairi to her house, Mom."

Wrapping her arms around Sora's neck, Kairi smiled at the laughing Nikkou. "Could Sora stay at my house for a little while, please? I won't keep him long from you."

Sora glanced down at Kairi excitedly before turning back to Nikkou. "Please, can I? Please, Mom? Just for a little bit?"

Nikkou chuckled, thinking the two of them together were adorable, which was the reason why she allowed her son to spend a lot of time with Kairi. "Alright, Sora. You can go. But don't stay out too late, okay?"

"I won't. Thanks, Mom." Still carrying Kairi, Sora turned to the front door, finding it closed. He looked over his shoulder at Nikkou. "Um, could you open to door for us, please?"

Nikkou and Kairi shared a giggle. The mother of the fifteen-year old boy walked over to the front door, pushed the handle down and held it open so that her son could carry the girl out. "Here you go."

"Thanks again, Nikkou," Kairi smiled up at the woman as she was carried out of the house by Sora. "Bye."

"Bye, Mom!" Sora called, looking over his shoulder at Nikkou, carrying Kairi along the garden path and through the gateway before beginning to walk down the street with the girl lying in his arms.

"Bye, Sora. Bye, Kairi." Nikkou watched them as they headed away from her house. She was still smiling, for she had really liked seeing Sora carrying Kairi in his arms. She was very glad to see that her son had a very special friendship with such a sweet and kind girl. Sighing softly, Nikkou closed the door.

Further up the street, Sora carried Kairi through the gateway of her house, then along the garden path before stopping in front of the door. Kairi smiled up at the boy. "You can put me on my feet, Sora. I need to unlock the door."

Chuckling softly, Sora gently placed Kairi onto her feet. She turned away from him, but the smile remained on her face as she reached into her pouch, took out her key and unlocked the door, which she pushed open. She walked into the house, turning on the ceiling light by a switch on the wall. As Sora followed her inside, Kairi pointed to the couch. "Sit down, Sora. You can have a rest after carrying me so much. I'll make us a cup of tea with some cookies."

Kairi walked into the kitchen, turning on the light in there with the use of another switch. She opened the cupboard and pulled out a silver kettle and its stand. After she set the stand down on top of the cupboard, plugging it into a socket on the wall, she took the kettle over to the sink. Opening the lid, she held it under the tap. She was about to turn on the cold water when a gloved hand reached out and turned it on for her. Water poured out of the tap, beginning to fill up the kettle. Kairi smiled up at Sora. "I told you to sit down. You must be tired after spending a day of carrying me around."

"Nah, carrying you wasn't tiring. It was fun. Besides, I came in to help you."

"I'm only making tea, Sora. It's nothing big."

"It doesn't matter. I love helping you."

Kairi smiled as she turned off the cold water tap, as the kettle was filled up with enough water to make two cups of tea. She set the kettle down onto its stand before pushing the button below its handle. The kettle hissed as it started to boil the water inside. Kairi grinned up at Sora. "Well then, I can boil the kettle, you can pour the water into the tea pot and we'll each pour our own cups. Is that fair?"

"Okay – as long as I get to serve the cookies."

"_Sora!_"

* * *

The two fifteen-year olds were soon sitting next to each other on the couch. They were both holding a cup of tea on their left hands and a cookie on their right hands. Sora's cookie was now half-eaten. He gulped down some of his tea before leaning back comfortably on the couch. Kairi took a bite out of her cookie before turning to the boy. "What are we doing tomorrow, Sora? Do you have any more plans for us?"

Sora grinned at the girl. "Of course I do, Kairi. I told you this fortnight was going to be a lot of fun. I know what we're going to do, tomorrow."

"What?" Kairi asked hastily, looking excitedly at the boy.

"Meet me where we parked the Gummi Ship. I'm taking you to another world."

"Another world?" Kairi's face was now even brighter. "Which one, Sora?"

"I'm not gonna tell you which one. But it is a world the two of us have been to before. I think it'll be lovely place for the two of us to visit. I intend for us to be there the whole day, but when you're there, it's hard to tell how long you've been there."

Kairi looked away, her face scrunched up in thought. She was a little disappointed that Sora refused to tell her which world they were going to, but it made her even more excited. _A world the two of us have been to before? _she thought, racking her brain as she finished off her cookie. _One which would be lovely for the two of us to visit? It wouldn't be the World That Never Was. I certainly don't wanna go there. But I'm pretty sure that's not where Sora is taking me. I can't figure out which world we're going to, though._

Kairi continued to think as she gulped down the tea that was left in her cup. Sora peered into the cup, noticing it was empty. He quickly finished off his own tea, then stuffed the remains of his cookie into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. "Pass me your cup, Kairi."

The girl did what Sora said, and he took the two cups into the kitchen. He stood at the sink, turned on the hot water tap and washed the inside of one of the cups.

Hearing the water running, Kairi walked into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw Sora placing the cup on the draining board before starting to wash the other one. "I don't know why you insist on doing everything for me."

Sora glanced over his shoulder, grinning at the girl. He turned off the tap before picking up a tea towel that was resting on the cupboard. He began to dry the cup he was holding. "Well, since Riku isn't here to do everything, I thought I might as well. Plus, as I said, I love helping you."

Kairi giggled before looking up at the clock on the wall. Her face fell when she saw that the time was ten o'clock. "It's late. You'd better get home, Sora, and I'd better go to bed. I don't want to be tired when we go to that world tomorrow."

Sora nodded and quickly dried the other cup before placing them both inside the cupboard. Folding the tea towel neatly, he placed it down on top of the cupboard. He walked towards Kairi, shooting her a grin. "But first, there's something I wanna do."

Knowing what he was about to do, Kairi smiled as she allowed herself to be swept off her feet and carried in Sora's arms. She looked up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, as he carried her out of the kitchen. "What time shall we meet tomorrow, Sora?"

The boy had to look up from Kairi as he started to carry her up the stairs. He was not going to let himself trip and drop the girl. "We can meet at any time, Kairi. I'll be waiting for you."

"You're not gonna get up at sun rise again, are you? You don't have to get up that early. We could meet at about ten, if that time is okay with you."

"It's fine, Kairi. I'll have had breakfast, washed and dressed by then. Ten is fine."

Sora reached the top of the stairs and carried Kairi slowly along the corridor. He was unable to turn on any ceiling lights, but having been in the house and walked up to Kairi's room many times, he was able to make out where he was going, carrying the girl safely to her bedroom door. He placed her gently onto his feet. "I'll let you get changed. When you're ready, I'll come inside to tuck you in."

Kairi walked into her room, closing the door, which did not stop Sora from hearing the soft giggles which had started to escape from her as soon as he had told her what he was going to do. Sora waited outside the room, smiling at the sound of Kairi's giggles. He had thoroughly enjoyed his day of carrying the girl he loved. Even if Riku had been there to do everything for them, he would have made sure that the silver-haired boy would allow him to carry Kairi.

The bedroom door soon opened, and Kairi stood there with a smile, dressed in her pink night gown. "I'm ready to be tucked in, Sora."

As he stepped into the dark room with a chuckle, Sora looked towards Kairi's bed. He stopped when he saw the teddy bear, which was still lying there. Kairi watched as Sora walked over to the side of the bed. He gently picked up the bear and grinned softly at it before turning to Kairi. "I gave you this, didn't I?"

"That's right. It was the very first birthday present I ever received from you, Sora. And it is the most special teddy bear, ever, since it's from you." Kairi walked over to Sora and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you, Sora."

"You already thanked me on your birthday," Sora laughed heartily, hugging the girl back, still holding the bear.

"I know, and I'm still grateful." Kairi looked up at Sora with a happy smile, feeling her heart beating a lot faster. "Always."

Smiling back, Sora broke the hug and held out the bear to Kairi. As she took hold of the stuffed animal, pulling it into a tight hug, Sora pulled the duvet back, and for the final time of the night, swept Kairi off her feet, lying her down gently on the mattress, her head resting on the pillow, before covering her with the duvet.

The smile on Kairi's face grew as she hugged the bear tighter. Her cheeks turned bright pink as she looked up at Sora. "The key to the house is on my window sill. Could you please lock the door on your way out, as well as turn out the lights? You can post the key through the mail box."

"Sure thing." Sora walked over to the window. He saw the key on the window sill and picked it up before smiling down at Kairi. "Good night, Kairi. Sleep well."

"Goodnight, Sora. Thanks for another lovely day."

Sora stepped towards the bedroom door, but he was unable to look away from the smiling girl, who was tucked up, ready for bed, feeling very happy. He pulled the door open and slowly stepped out. As soon as he gently closed the door, Kairi hugged the teddy bear tighter and closed her eyes, still smiling softly.

Walking along the corridor, Sora walked slowly down the stairs, taking care not to make any noise, as he did not want to disturb Kairi. After reaching the bottom, he walked into the kitchen to turn out the light that was still left on. He walked to the front door and, using the switch on the wall, turned out the ceiling lights in the lounge. Pulling the front door open, Sora stepped out of the house.

Once he had closed the door behind him, the boy turned to face it to lock it up, making sure that Kairi would be safe without him. He wondered why the Mayor had to spend so much time out of the house, and not even spend the nights with his daughter.

After making sure that the door was locked properly, Sora posted the key through the mail box. He turned around to walk along the garden path and through the gateway. The boy turned to his left and headed back to his house, holding his hand to his fast-beating heart all the way.

* * *

**So Sora and Kairi will be journeying off to another world. As you've noticed, I haven't mentioned which world it will be, but if you study the dialogue between Sora and Kairi when they talk about it, you might be able to work it out, as there are a few clues. Kairi can't work it out, but you may be able to. ;)**

**My updates my be a bit slower now, because I'm starting a job very soon, which while take up quite a bit of my time, even though it's only part time. But don't worry. I am determined to get this story finished, no matter how long it takes. If I spend plenty of my free time writing, then my updates shouldn't take too long.**


	28. Another Beautiful World

**A new chapter is here! Let's find out which world Sora and Kairi are travelling to next! :D**

* * *

The sun was beating into Sora's face the next morning as he lay in his bed, his eyes closed and his sleep being disturbed by the daylight which was creeping through his curtains and into his room. It was wordlessly telling him to wake up and climb out of bed.

Usually, Sora would have ignored the sun's silent requests. He would often choose instead to groan that the morning had come so soon before rolling over in his bed to go back to sleep, which would not last long, for Nikkou would come into his room and tell him to get up. Today, however, was different. Sora smiled tiredly as he opened his eyes, pleased that the morning had arrived. It was a new day, which meant spending it all with Kairi again.

Despite feeling exhausted, Sora threw the duvet off himself and sat up, his legs dangling on the side of the bed. He was dressed in a pair of red pyjamas. Jumping to his feet, Sora stretched his arms over his head as he walked towards the bedroom door. _I can't wait to go back to that world, _he thought to himself, still smiling as he left the bedroom. _It's a lovely place for me and Kairi to go to. It's just a pity we weren't there at the same time when we went there before. But thanks to Donald and Goofy, now we can – and maybe we'll see some old friends._

Sora walked down the stairs to find Nikkou straightening up the cushions on the couch. She looked up, smiling to see her son was up early. "Morning, Sora. I'm glad to see you've been getting up by yourself all this week. It's very rare that you've done that throughout nearly the whole sixteen years of your life."

"Well, of course I'm gonna get up by myself!" Sora grinned as he came to the bottom of the stairs. "I'm taking Kairi out."

"We should have had you start taking Kairi out years ago!" Nikkou laughed as she walked into the kitchen, pointing to a bowl of porridge that was sitting on the table with a red cup of tear standing next to it. "There's your breakfast."

Sora sat down at the table and picked up the spoon that was resting on the left side of the bowl. He looked at the pale white liquid which filled up his bowl. Sora did not usually eat porridge for breakfast (he would often ask Nikkou to make him toast or waffles), so he had almost forgotten what it tasted like. He knew he had never had a bad thing to say about porridge, and he knew he had to eat his breakfast so that he would be full of energy by the time he would meet Kairi.

Scooping up some porridge with his spoon, Sora swallowed some of the thick white liquid. As he began to eat, Nikkou picked up a silver teapot, which was resting on the cupboard, and used it to pour the tea inside into a dark green up that was standing next to it, a little bit of milk inside it. Once she had filled it with hot tea, she put down the teapot to pick up the cup by its handle. She turned to the table and placed the cup down next to Sora's bowl, which was already half empty, for Sora was eating the porridge quickly, being reminded of how he liked the taste and wanting to be ready in time to meet Kairi by the Gummi Ship.

Nikkou smiled as she sat in a chair opposite her son, watching him eat. "So what are you and Kairi doing today?"

Sora lowered his spoon and looked up at his mother, grinning excitedly. "We're going to visit one of the worlds we travelled to."

Nikkou's face fell in horror. She stared with shock at her son, her eyes wide. "You mean one of those worlds that you were at while you, Kairi and Riku were missing?"

"Yes, Mom." Sora looked at his mother in puzzlement. "What's wrong with that? We went to one the day before yesterday, as well."

"You went to one of these worlds a few days ago?" Nikkou was looking and sounding very alarmed.

"Yes, Mom. Why are you panicking?"

"Because you've barely been back from these worlds while you and the others were missing! I was going through a lot of worry over the days, and so were Kuuki and the Mayor! What if you go missing again?"

"We won't, Mom." Sora reached out to gently take hold of his mother's hand. He gave her an assuring smile, wanting her to relax, since she was worrying over nothing - just as she often did. "We'll be back. With our new transportation, which we were given in the last world we visited, we can easily go to and from these worlds. And this world is a lovely place. I know we won't have any bother there, and if we're lucky, we might see some old friends which we met when we travelled to that world. We haven't seen them since we left."

Nikkou smiled softly, feeling a little relaxed at her son's assuring words that he would be okay. She knew that while they were in the world, he would make sure to keep Kairi safe. "So you have friends at this world, do you?"

"Yeah, that's right. I'd like to see them again."

Putting a finger to her smiling lips, Nikkou turned away. She was happy to learn that Sora had made friends while he had been away, as well as the fact that he had been given some transportation. Whoever Sora's friends were, if they were to meet her son and Kairi while they were in the world, Kairi could carry out what she had told her to do.

Sora took a gulp of tea from his cup before setting it down onto the table before looking up at his mother. Worry was starting to become visible in his expression. "Mom, can I ask you something?"

Nikkou turned back to her son, still smiling. "Of course, Sora. What is it?"

"You don't mind me spending a lot of time with Kairi, do you?"

Nikkou closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Of course I don't, Sora. I've always loved seeing you spend time with Kairi since you were small. You're always very good to her, and she's always happy when she's with you."

Sora was surprised to hear how his mother had answered his question. "Why have you always loved seeing me spend time with Kairi?"

"Because I love seeing how happy the two of you are when you're together."

"Why do you think Kairi is always happy when she's with me?"

"Why wouldn't she be? She's with her best friend." Nikkou opened her eyes and turned away, still smiling, hiding what she was thinking from her son.

Sora knew his mother was thinking of something, but decided not to wonder and waste more time. He quickly shovelled the remains of the porridge into his mouth before gulping down the rest of his tea. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he jumped urgantly to his feet. "I'm going up to get washed and dressed."

"Okay." Nikkou turned back to her son, pointing a finger at him. "And make sure, Sora, that you are properly clean _and_ neatly dressed."

"I will, Mom!" Sora chuckled softly as he walked out of the kitchen and raced up the stairs.

* * *

Sora came walking down the stairs almost fifteen minutes later. His teeth were brushed and he had spent a long time washing his face at the sink, but he was once again dressed in his usual clothing. He was looking towards the front door as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs, ready to rush out through it and meet up with Kairi on the smaller island.

Nikkou walked into the lounge from the kitchen. She placed her hands on her hips when she saw her son was wearing the same clothes he usually wore. "Hadn't you better find something different to those clothes?"

"They're fine, Mom. Besides, I expect Kairi will be wearing her usual clothes, too."

"Well, I could still iron some of your other clothes-"

"No, Mom, I don't have time. It's nearly five to ten. I have to meet Kairi now."

"Okay. You've got everything you need, have you? What time will you be back?"

"I dunno. It's hard to tell the time in that world."

"Well then, just try not to be back to late, okay?"

"I'll try, but it'll be hard to concentrate on the time when I'll be having so much fun with Kairi."

Sora walked across the wooden floor of the lounge, reaching the front door and pulling it open. He looked over his shoulder to wave at his mother as he stepped out of the house. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Sora," Nikkou smiled softly, watching as her son pulled the door shut behind him. She walked up the stairs, chuckling to herself. She had no doubts that her son, despite now be able to get up in the mornings all by himself, would not have made his bed on his way out.

Outside in the street, Sora looked up towards where Kairi's house stood in between two of the houses of the street. _I wonder if Kairi has left yet, _he thought, taking a few steps up the street towards her house. _If she hasn't, I could go to her house and wait for her._

The boy looked over his shoulder towards the end of the street. _Or maybe she could already be at the smaller island, _he thought as he began to run. _Whether she is or not, I'll meet her there._

* * *

Sora was soon sitting in his boat, having rowed it through the sea away from the main island, and now making his way alongside the smaller island to dock on its pier. As he used his two oars to keep the boat moving forward, he looked up at the sky. The sun was high up above him, reflected in the bright blue sea he was travelling across. He had noticed from a few glances to his left that the leaves of the trees which were growing together on the hillside at the edge of the smaller island were now much bigger and a lighter shade of green. The trees were as tall as ever, the only movements they were making being caused by the faint breezes that blew onto the land. Destiny Islands was looking as beautiful as it often did - but it did not matter to Sora, this time. He was to travel to another beautiful world – with a girl that was even more beautiful.

Seeing that he had reached the end of the smaller island, Sora lifted up the oar in his left hand, placing it inside the boat. He started to row with only his right hand, turning the boat towards the pier - and grinned widely to see Kairi standing on it, next to the rear of the Gummi Ship. She was waving wildly to him with her left hand, smiling happily at the sight of him. As the boy had guessed, she was wearing her usual clothing, ready for another fun day with him.

Sora gave a large wave back to the girl with his left hand before picking the oar he had just placed down back up, using it with his right oar to row towards the pier. He pushed the boat he was sitting in through the water at a quick speed, ceasing his rowing when he had come up to one of the pier's legs. Standing up to tie the boat to the leg, he noticed that Kairi's boat was tied right next to his.

Grinning at the sight of the girl's boat, Sora glanced up see that Kairi was looking cheerfully down at him from the pier. He saw that she was standing in front of the top of the ladder, smiling down widely at him. As he lowered his head to see the rope he was taking hold of to tie to the front of the girl, he did not notice that the girl step backwards away from where she was standing.

Once he had securely tied his boat to the pier, Sora turned to the wooden ladder, which was in between his boat and Kairi's. Gripping hold of the sides of it and placing his feet onto the bottom rung, he started to quickly climb up it. Each of the wooden rungs creaked slightly as his large boots were placed onto them for two seconds each.

Sora reached the top of the ladder and pulled himself up onto the pier. He looked up as he stood there, only to see up to the other side of the pier and some of the sand on the beach below. Kairi was not standing in front of him, which was what he had expected from seeing where she had stood when he had been about to tie his boat to the pier, but as he turned to look to his right, he found himself being pulled into a hug by the delighted girl.

Smiling softly, Sora hugged Kairi back. He reached up with his right hand to stroke her soft red hair. "Hi, Kairi. Have you been waiting long?"

Kairi looked up at the boy without breaking the hug. She shook her head, smiling. "No, I only just got here. And I was very happy to see you walk onto the beach now."

Sora grinned as he ran his whole right hand through Kairi's hair. "And are you still happy?"

"Of course! The two of us are going to going to have a lovely time at the world! I just know it!"

"But do you know which world we are going to?"

"No, I kept thinking which world it could be over breakfast." Kairi looked down with a small frown on her face. "But I just can't work it out."

"You'll know which world it is as soon as we get there. And I'm sure you'll agree that it's a lovely world for the two of us to visit."

Kairi looked up at Sora, her confused frown replaced with an excited grin. "I know you're right, Sora."

Sora grinned back as he broke the hug. He walked to the side door of the Gummi Ship to pull it open by its handle. "Jump in, Kairi."

The girl nodded, walking to Sora's side. With one skip, she was inside the ship. Sora climbed inside after her and pulled the door shut. He walked over to the three seats behind the control desk, taking the pilot's seat for himself. After strapping himself to the seat with the safety belt, he pushed a few buttons on the control desk.

Kairi sat in the seat on Sora's left, smiling at him as she fastened her safety belt. "Since you're an expert at flying Gummi Ships, you could have flown Donald and Goofy's ship to Disney Castle when we went there."

"Well, I couldn't have," Sora chuckled as he shook his head. "Because I needed Donald and Goofy to come over here to pick us up with their ship. And I'm glad they didn't make me fly it over there."

"Why's that?"

"Because I enjoyed holding your hand throughout the journey there."

Kairi blushed softly at the mention of Sora holding her hand. She smiled, feeling glad that Sora enjoyed holding her hand, as she loved holding his. "I enjoyed it, too."

Sora held out his left hand quickly towards the girl, expecting her to take hold of it. He grinned widely at her, planning to walk across the ground of the world they were bout to visit with Kairi's hand in his.

Kairi laughed and pointed to the control desk with her right hand instead of taking hold of the one Sora was offering. "But you can't hold my hand now, Sora. Unfortunately for you, Donald and Goofy are not here, and neither is our loyal servant, Riku. You're going to have to fly this ship, but you can hold my hand when we get to the world."

Sora gave a laugh in reply, shaking his head before pushing a few more buttons on the control desk. As the ship roared to life, it raised itself off of the wood of the pier and hovered the air. It was facing away from the ocean and towards the trees on the island, so Sora used the joystick to turn it around.

Once the ocean and the horizon were visible through the windshield, Sora pulled back on the same joystick. The Gummi Ship began to fly forward and took to the sky. The ocean was far below them and the islands were soon miles behind them. Kairi grinned in excitement, rocking back and forth her chair, as they left their home islands behind to journey to another world once again.

* * *

Kairi could not concentrate on the beauty of the blue atmosphere they were travelling through. For the entire thirty minutes they had spent travelling in the ship, she had been watching Sora with a smile as he concentrated on finding their way to the world. He was determined to get them there, but his concentration was not distracting him from happily chatting to Kairi as he flew the ship.

"We're almost there, Kairi," the boy soon told the girl excitedly. "Before we get there, are you able to guess which world it is?"

Looking away from the boy, Kairi pursed her lips, trying one final time to figure out which world they were going to. She thought hard, but no world which matched how Sora had described it ran through her mind. "Sorry, Sora. I really don't know."

Sora smiled, unable to look at the girl, due to flying the ship. "You don't need to apologise, Kairi. We'll soon be at the world, and you'll soon remember how lovely it is."

Kairi turned to Sora, smiling, then her eyes widened and she raised a finger. "Ooh, I almost forgot!"

"Almost forgot what?"

Reaching down, Kairi opened the pouch attracted to her belt. She pulled out a small, silver digital camera and held it up in front of her, pointing it at Sora. Pushing a switch on the top of the left side, Kairi turned it on, and she saw that the boy sitting next to her appeared on the screen at the back.

Kairi pressed a button on the top of the camera, which took a picture of Sora. The girl looked with a small smile at the screen, which displayed the still image of the boy in the pilot's seat "I've brought a camera with me, Sora. I thought it would be a good idea to take one, since you said this world is so lovely. It would be nice to take a few pictures while we're down there."

"It would be nice," Sora agreed with a nod. "And it is a good idea. But save what memory you've got on there, Kairi. Me flying the Gummi Ship isn't really good for a picture. You can take some better ones – once we come in to land right now."

Kairi looked out through the window – and gasped in amazement to see a world in front of them. On the orange circular world was a tall orange building with a red rooftop. The base which the building was standing on was surrounded by a circle of railway track, which had a train travelling endlessly around it. Beside the base was a small sphere that was covered in green plants with three orange buildings with blue rooftops standing on top. Looming behind the taller building was a blue circle with showed a purple sunset sky.

As the Gummi Ship entered the atmosphere of the world, Kairi looked through the windshield, her jaw hanging open, as she now recognised the world. Quickly, she held her camera up and took a picture of what she could see through the windshield. Looking at the image on the screen of the camera, Kairi took in the two rows of buildings on each side of the street the Gummi Ship was landing in. She was going to have to walk with Sora along a narrow road which sloped down a hill. Above the street, as well as the whole world, purple clouds were slowly floating through a sunset sky. Having been to the world before, Kairi recognised its beauty, and she knew that the sky would never change from orange to pitch black, which was what gave the world its name.

The ship landed gently onto the ground. While Sora switched off the engines, Kairi took off her safety belt, then quickly stood up. She walked over to the door, pulling it open with its gandle. She stepped out of the Gummi Ship, embracing the sunset atmosphere of the world. Looking up at the sky, Kairi smiled at its beauty, grateful that Sora had taken her to this world.

Behind her, the sounds of the Gummi Ship died down as the engines stopped. Sora stepped out of the ship. He took hold of the door handle and slid the door shut. He turned to Kairi, smiling as he watched her take in her surroundings.

Happy and excited, Kairi looked over her shoulder at the boy, a delighted smile on her face. "Sora! You took me to-"

"That's right, Kairi," Sora interrupted, nodding with a grin. "I took you to Twilight Town."

* * *

**And that's the world: Twilight Town! :) Some of you were able to figure it out, even though Kairi was unable to. :P So those of you that did might be able to guess what happens in the next chapter, as there are a few hints. I'll leave you to wonder, and you'll find out in the next chapter. :)**


	29. Suspicions of Love

**Sorry its been so long since the last update. I'm not dead. I've just been very busy lately (mostly thanks to my new job). Here's the new chapter. I hope it's alright.**

* * *

Delighted to have been brought to Twilight Town, Kairi raced back to Sora to throw her arms around him once again. She smiled softly as she closed her eyes, ever grateful that the boy she loved was spending so many days making her happy and giving the two of them lots of fun. Kairi felt her heart beating fast as Sora hugged her back. She was feeling very happy. "Thank you, Sora. Thank you for bringing me here."

Smiling upon seeing Kairi happy with the world he had taken her to, Sora reached up to run a finger through the girl's hair. "It's okay, Kairi. I'm glad you're happy that I've brought you here."

"Of course I'm happy that you've brought me here. As long as you're with me, Sora, anywhere I go is wonderful." Kairi pulled away to look up at the bright orange sky, her smile widening at how beautiful she thought it looked. "And you're right about Twilight Town. It really is a lovely place for the two of us to visit. I didn't get much of a chance to admire its beauty."

"Now you can." Sora placed his hand on Kairi's shoulder as he smiled down at her. "The two of us can. We have the whole day to do that."

Kairi looked over her shoulder to grin up at Sora. Reaching into her pouch with her left hand, she pulled her camera out. Turning around, she took a few steps backwards as she held the camera up in front of her, aiming it at Sora so that he, along with the Gummi Ship and the orange sky, appeared on the screen. "Smile, Sora."

Sora gave the girl a large grin, braced to have his photograph taken. He felt a little nervous, as he did not think he would look good in a photograph, and he did not want to ruin one that Kairi was to take.

After pressing the button on top of the camera, Kairi smiled at the picture she had just taken of Sora. She held the camera closer to her so that she could get a better look. As she had wanted, the picture showed the body standing in the middle of the road, the clouds floating above him in the orange sky with the Gummi Ship standing behind him.

"Come and look at the picture, Sora." Kairi turned the camera around in her hands so that the screen was facing Sora, who took a few steps forward to see the picture. "What do you think?"

Sora grinned bashfully. He did not think he looked very good in the picture, but he still thought it looked nice. "You take a lovely picture, Kairi."

"Thanks," Kairi smiled, turning the camera in her hands again to look at the picture she had taken. "And you look lovely in this picture."

"Do I?" Sora gazed at Kairi in disbelief, feeling touched by her words.

"Of course you do!" Kairi looked up at the boy with a small frown, although the corners of her mouth were twitching, as she was trying not to smile so that she would appear to look angry. "How can you say that, Sora? I wanna take lots of pictures of you while we're here."

As he could tell she was not really angry with him, due to her trying not to smile, but making it obvious she wanted to, Sora chuckled softly. He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, don't waste _all_ of your pictures of me, Kairi. You need to go in some as well."

Kairi looked down at the camera in her hands, a small smile on her face. She was just as modest as Sora about how she looked in photographs. She wanted to have some taken of her, as that was what Sora wanted, but she was sure she would not look good in them. She had no idea that Sora thought she always looked beautiful, both in photographs and in person.

Sensing how nervous Kairi was feeling, Sora put his arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him in surprise, blushing softly, noticing he was grinning kindly down at her. "I want a picture of the two of us," he said.

"You do?" Kairi's cheeks went from light pink to deep red. She had not expected such a request from Sora.

"Well, that is, only if you want." It was Sora's turn to blush as his grin disappeared, his face now having a worried expression. He did not know if Kairi liked the idea of having her picture taken with him.

The look on his face quickly changed to one of surprise as the girl hugged him around the torso. Kairi was grinning excitedly and happily. "Of course I'd love a picture with you, Sora! That would be so wonderful!"

Sora hugged the girl back, his smile returning. "Where shall we have it taken? There are lots of lovely places here which would be good to take it at."

Breaking the hug, but taking Sora's hand, Kairi looked down towards the bottom of the slope they were standing on. "Let's have a look around. I'm sure we will find somewhere nice. As I said, I didn't really have a chance to admire this place. When we find the best place to take the picture, we'll ask someone to take it for us."

The boy nodded in agreement before beginning to walk down the slope, pulling the girl along gently as he squeezed her hand. They reached the bottom of the slope and stood on the spot, taking in the sights of the area. There were not many people in sight, but there were lots of brick buildings standing. One building had an icon of a white dress above its entrance, while another had a yellow base with a pink stripe going around it, and above its entrance were neon lights that were shaped like candy. Tramlines had been built along the paved ground, used daily by several trams to carry passengers around the town, whether they wanted to go shopping or just enjoy the beauty of Twilight Town from the seat of a tram.

Sora and Kairi were surprised that very few people were about, but Kairi thought that what they could see from where they were standing would make a nice picture, and would not have been as good if the area had been crowded. Raising her camera up in front of her, she pressed down on the button, capturing what was out in front of her into the memory of the camera. She showed the picture on the screen to Sora, who smiled at how lovely he thought it was, although he knew that a picture of the town would not be as beautiful as a picture of Kairi.

Putting the camera back into her pouch, Kairi took hold of Sora's hand. They took a few steps forward, but stopped with surprise at the sound of a loud, cheery voice.

"Hey, Sora! Hey, Kairi!"

The two fifteen-year olds looked to their right, where the voice was coming from. They both shared a wide grin, for they could see Pence running towards them from behind the shop with the neon candy lights. As usual, the chubby fifteen-year old boy with a wide friendly smile was wearing a black headband with grey stripes around his messy black hair, along with his red sleeveless jersey with 'DOG STREET' in large white letters along the side, next to a black symbol of a demon dog with bones. Pence was also wearing his baggy blue jeans, white long-sleeved shirt and his pair of blue and white trainers. He stopped on front of Sora and Kairi, his brown eyes brightening at the sight of his two friends.

"Hi, Pence," Kairi grinned happily at the chubby fifteen-year old boy. "Been a while since we last saw you."

"And I was very much hoping we'd see you," Sora added with a smile. "I was also hoping we'd see-"

"Pence!" A grumpy male voice suddenly called out from nearby. "Where are you? Why did you run off in a hurry like that?"

"There he is," a female voice added. "Oh, and look who's with him! It's Sora and Kairi! Hey, you two!"

Recognising both of the voices instantly, Sora, Kairi and Pence looked towards the shop with the neon candy lights. Two figures were running towards them, and as they came closer, Sora and Kairi were surprised by what they saw.

It was not that anything had changed about Hayner's physical appearance. The sixteen-year old was still pale skinned with spiky blond hair and brown eyes. He was also wearing his black vest that displayed a skull and crossbones underneath his grey jacket with camouflage pants and shoes with a brown wristband around his left wrist, and a yellow chain still hung around his neck with a yellow star attached to it.

What had surprised Sora and Kairi was that Hayner's right hand was holding Olette's left one. Other than this seemingly new sight, nothing had changed about the fifteen-year old brunette girl, either. Her hair was still sticking out on each side, with a strand hanging over each of her shoulders. She was still wearing an orange tank top that displayed white flowers with khaki three-quarter length pants. Her feet were still covered with yellow and white shoes, along with tall orange socks that matched her tank top. She still wore a blue, beaded bracelet on her right wrist and a blue charm still hung from a black string around her neck. Olette was looking at Sora and Kairi with wide, happy, green eyes as she and Hayner stopped near them.

"Hayner! Olette!" Sora exclaimed joyfully, raising a fist in triumph. "Alright! You're all here! I was hoping you would be!"

"What are you two doing here?" Hayner asked with a smile, shaking his head in disbelief. "We haven't seen you guys in ages."

"We're here for the day," Kairi explained, looking up at Sora with a soft smile. "Sora brought me here as a surprise."

"Well, you two being here is a surprise," Pence remarked, scratching his chin. "We weren't expecting you to come here."

"But we're very happy you did!" Olette added quickly, a wide cheerful smile on her face. "It's so lovely to see you again!"

"It's lovely to see you all, too," Kairi replied happily, nodding towards Olette. She was really enjoying being back at Twilight Town and seeing her old friends again.

"And that's really nice of you, Sora," Pence told the spiky-haired fifteen-year old, impressed by his selflessness, "to bring Kairi here as a surprise."

"Wasn't it, Pence?" Kairi glanced at the chubby boy before looking up at Sora, still smiling softly with a small blush.

Sora turned to the red-haired girl, smiling back down at her. Neither of the two young residents from Destiny Islands noticed Olette turn away from them to frown at Hayner, although she kept her hand in his. "Why don't you ever give me surprises, Hayner?"

The spiky-haired blond boy shrugged carelessly. "What surprises do you want?"

"What kind of question is that? You can't ask me what surprises I want, because then I'd know what they are!"

"Oh, then what am I supposed to do?"

"Use a bit of imagination, Hayner!"

Kairi turned to see them arguing and let out a small giggle. "Are you two a couple now?"

Upon hearing these words, the expressions on Hayner and Olette's faces were replaced by ones of horror. Olette's jaw dropped while Hayner's brown eyes widened. He stuttered his words as he tried to verbally defend himself. "Er..wh-what? No! Why w-w-would you think th-th-that?"

Grinning cheekily, Sora raised his free hand and pointed to the alarmed teenagers' hands, which were still linked together. "You guys are holding hands."

Hayner and Olette looked down at their hands, both sharing a loud gasp before swiping their hands from each other's grip. Hayner rubbed his hand on his jacket while Olette did the same on her tank top. They both glared at each other before turning back to Sora and Kairi, blushing nervously.

"We first...held hands when Pence dared us to," Hayner explained, managing to control his stuttering. "Olette said she liked it, so...I have to hold her hand now every time we go out."

"Hey, you said you liked it, too!" Olette turned to Hayner, glaring once again.

"They both liked it a lot," Pence told Sora and Kairi with a wink. "It was just over two weeks ago when they started doing it. And they especially do it when they go on dates."

"_Dates?_" Olette screamed in horror, her green eyes widening once again, her face turning red. "What dates, Pence?"

Pence turned to Olette and Hayner, shooting them a smirk. "Don't think I don't know about how you two go off to posh restaurants and other places without me. I see you go off, hand in hand, _and_ I see where you go. How could you go to those good restaurants without me, guys?"

Glaring furiously, Hayner raised his left fist. He rubbed his knuckles onto the palm of his right hand, baring his gritted teeth at Pence. "You shouldn't be following us when we think we're alone, Pence! And just because we hold hands, don't mean we're a couple! I'm gonna-"

Just then, Olette squealed loudly, as she had spotted Sora and Kairi's linked hands. The sight surprised her, but she also thought it was a good chance to save Pence from a painful punch from Hayner. She pointed at the joined hands of the two teenagers from Destiny Islands. "Hey, are _you _a couple?"

Hayner and Pence turned away from each other to see Sora and Kairi looking at Olette in shock. They quickly pulled their hands away from each other and found themselves struggling to stand up straight, as they were shaking so much.

"Er, n-no," Sora stuttered nervously, running a hand through his hair. Sweat drops were running down the left side of his face.

"We were just, um, h-h-holding hands," Kairi added quickly, shaking her head rapidly. She placed her left hand on her heart to steady it, as it was suddenly beating so fast. She could feel her cheeks burn, for they were once again turning pink.

Hayner smirked smugly, folding his arms. He had forgotten all about giving Pence a punch. "_Why_ were you holding hands?"

"We do it a lot," Sora replied, managing to control his stuttering and trying to sound casual, as if holding hands with Kairi was a normal thing. He put on a nervous grin.

"Because we like it." Kairi gave a nod in agreement before looking down shyly at her feet. Her cheeks were burning harder. She had never felt so nervous in her life, although she knew Sora would back her upl.

"Well, if you think holding hands with Olette makes me her boyfriend," Hayner replied calmly, not noticing Olette blushing deeper as he spoke, "then holding hands with Sora must make you his girlfriend, Kairi."

Kairi looked up quickly from her feet to give Hayner an expression that looked more stunned than the first one she had given him. She could not believe what he had suggested. "_Me? Sora's girlfriend?_"

"Um, Hayner, listen," Sora spoke quickly, trying to distract Hayner from embarrassing Kairi even further. "Do you know anywhere where we can take some nice pictures?"

"Oh, yes, do you?" With a shaky hand, Kairi pulled her camera out of her pouch. She held it up for the three Twilight Town residents to see, her legs still shaking. "I brought it with us, because I wanted to get some pictures of the world, even though I didn't know we were coming here."

"Oh, I know a lovely place to take pictures." Olette raised a finger, smiling, her blush fading away. "Sunset Terrace. But you have to take a train there."

"No problem. We will," Kairi smiled. "I like the sound of this place."

"Why don't you come with us?" Sora suggested hopefully. "As I said, I was hoping I would see you guys here. It would be nice if you joined us for the day."

A wide grin spread across Pence's face. He jumped on the spot in excitement. "Alright! We'll come with you! That would be great!"

"It certainly would," Olette nodded, smiling softly at her old friends. "We've really missed you guys while you've been gone. We have to catch up and all have fun."

Sora nodded in agreement, smiling back at Olette. "We certainly do."

Hayner pointed to a nearby sloping street that led out of the area. "Well, what are we waiting for? We've got a train to catch!"

The others turned to the street, grinning. They were all excited to be spending a fun day together. Hayner and Olette went to take hold of each others' hands, but then remembered what Sora, Kairi and Pence thought. Hayner clasped his hand over his mouth and pretended to couch into it, while Olette clenched her hand into a fist, which she placed onto her side.

Sora and Kairi could tell Hayner and Olette were trying to hide the fact they were going to hold hands, and they shared a happy laugh. They had to resist the urge to take each other's hands, however. They just walked side by side, instead, blushing slightly, as Hayner led the group towards and up the sloped street that led to Central Station.

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Yeah, sorry if this chapter is not that good. I was gonna continue writing, but I think this is enough for one chapter, and what is to follow should go in another.

**In some previous chapters, you'll have noticed that despite the fact that the main pairing in this story is Sora and Kairi, I put in some Tidus and Selphie moments as well, since I like that pairing, too. As you have probably worked out by now, I'll be doing the same with Hayner and Olette. :P**

**Since my schedule is delaying my updates, I'm gonna start posting news updates on my profile. So make sure to check them regularly to find out when new chapters are posted or at least in the process of being written. And don't worry, I won't stop writing this story until it's complete, no matter how long it takes. I know how annoying it is to read a story and it doesn't get finish. I don't intend on doing the same, because I can tell you guys are enjoying this, for which I am truly grateful. :) Thanks for the support, everyone – and stay tuned. Plenty more is to come. :P**


	30. Train of Thought

**Here's another chapter which I don't think is very good. Not much really happens, so don't expect anything great.**

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The street which let up to Central Station had large buildings on each side of the orange paved path. Although the sunset sky lit up the street well, along with the rest of the world, the two rows of short street lamps – one row on each side of the path – had been turned on. Hayner led the group past the purple garage building with the word 'GARAGE' in large, yellow capital letters and around the corner, taking them further up the slope.

Kairi was unable to stop giggling, no matter how much she tried. Although Sora was much stronger than her, she had just realized he was not fitter. The walk up the slope was too much walking work for him, and he was bent over, gasping for breath as he clutched his heart. Kairi just walked ahead of him effortlessly to join the others.

Hayner managed to look away from Olette to frown at the panting Sora with a grunt. "I dunno how you're so tired, Sora. Pence, Olette and I walk up these hills everyday, and _we_ don't get tired."

"You're used to it, that's why!" Sora looked up, still clutching his heart, to frown back at Hayner. He was unsure how the sixteen-year old boy and his friends could get used to walking up steep slopes everyday, and was amazed how Kairi did not find it a struggle.

"Yeah, and unfortunately, Hayner, Sora is not." Kairi looked up at Hayner, letting off more soft, but loud giggles. "He's used to lying in the sun all day."

Kairi looked over her shoulder to give Sora a teasing smile, but when she saw that his eyes were wide and his mouth hanging open, she gasped loudly, realizing that she had made a joke about what had given Sora cancer. She looked away, clutching her hand to her heart, ashamed of herself immediately. She did not doubt that Sora felt hurt by her joke, although she did not mean to offend him (which was something she never wanted to do). Once again, the fun she was having with the boy had made her almost forget what he was going through, and only too late had she remembered. She looked down as she walked along, closing her eyes, expecting Sora to yell angrily at her. The boy remained silent as he walked behind her, making Kairi feel nervous and more ashamed.

"Here we are," Pence suddenly announced happily, stopping in his tracks. "Central Station."

Kairi stopped and looked up with sad eyes. To the group's left was a large pale orange building on top of a short staircase. The entrance to the building was a pair of glass double doors, which were beneath an arch with purple circles that each contained a letter inside to spell the word 'station'. The roof tiles were a dark red, and a tall clock tower stood in the middle of the building. Romanian numbers were displayed on the clock. Strangely, a Romanian number one was displayed on the top, rather than a number twelve.

Sora looked to his right to see the large ledge that looked out at the beautiful sunset. The sun seemed to be sinking, but it was difficult to be able to tell if it was. If so, it was moving incredibly slowly.

Grinning at the sight, Sora stood behind Kairi and tapped her gently on the shoulder. "Kairi, pass me your camera, please."

The girl curiously looked over her shoulder up at the boy, wondering why he was grinning at her, instead of glaring. "You want my camera?"

"Yes – I wanna take a picture of you."

"A picture of me?" Kairi looked away from Sora and down at her feet, feeling a little shy, although she could not help smiling, as she realized the boy was not mad at her. "Um, I dunno."

"Oh, c'mon, Kairi," Sora whined. "I told you I wanted one of you."

"Yeah, but I don't think I'd look good in one-"

"Of course, you would," Olette told her softly. "Go on, Kairi. Have your picture taken."

Hayner looked over his shoulder up at the clock on the clock tower. He could see that the time was ten to two. "We've still got a bit of time. The train won't be leaving yet."

Smiling, feeling a little encouraged, Kairi took her camera out of her pouch and handed it to Sora. "Where do you want me to stand?"

"Over by the ledge, so we can get the sun in the picture."

Kairi nodded and walked over to the ledge. She turned to Sora, noticing he was now holding the camera up in front of him. She ran her fingers through her hair before holding her hands behind her back, a soft smile on her face. Sora had never before taken a picture of her. She was looking forward to seeing what it looked like.

Once Sora had pressed down on the button on the camera, Hayner, Pence and Olette stood behind him and looked over his shoulders to get a look at the picture. Olette let out an amazed gasp as her green eyes widened. "Sora, that's an amazing picture."

"Thanks." Sora grinned at the brunette girl. "And doesn't Kairi look amazing in it?"

"Amazing?" Kairi blinked in surprise upon hearing Sora's comment.

Hayner looked up at the red-haired girl with a small smile. "Yeah, you look great in this picture, Kairi."

Sora turned to the girl he loved to smile softly at her. "Come and have a look, Kairi."

Kairi took a few steps towards them, and Sora turned the camera around in his hands. Looking at the small screen, Kairi gasped. She saw herself on the screen, a small smile on her face, standing in front of the ledge. Behind her, the sun was looming in the bright, orange sky. She was amazed. She thought the picture looked very beautiful.

Taking her eyes off the screen, Kairi grinned at Sora. "Wow, Sora. That picture really is wonderful."

"And you look wonderful, too, Kairi," Sora grinned back before letting out a chuckle as he saw Kairi's cheeks turn bright pink.

Hayner, Pence and Olette saw the blush on the red-haired girl's face, and they all shared a smirk. Kairi turned to them, wondering what they found humorous, but before she could ask, Hayner, sensing the question, turned around and pointed towards the station building. "C'mon, guys. We gotta catch the train."

The spiky-haired blond ran on ahead of the others, and they all chased after him, annoyed that he was leaving them behind. However, Hayner stopped at the bottom of the steps. He smiled at the others as they rejoined him, and together, they all walked up the steps. Hayner pushed and held open one of the glass doors, closing it behind him after the others had passed through. They were standing in a large, empty room, with another pair of double doors on the wall opposite them. All together, they raced up to the doors and pushed past them, proceeding to run up the purple flight of stairs ahead of them, which led to the station platform.

As they stepped onto the platform, they saw that a train that consisted of a single, orange railcar was parked on one of the lines of the station. It had a pair of doors on each side, as well as several windows that allowed its passengers to see the beautiful sights of Twilight Town. It was facing a tunnel that had been built through the brickwork of the station, which would led it out of the building and send it on its way to Sunset Terrace.

Hayner pointed to the train, grinning. "There's the train! It's always a good way to travel to Sunset Terrace!"

"Are you sure we can't walk there?" Kairi giggled jokingly, knowing that what she was saying would terrify Sora. "It would take longer, and therefore, we'd have a nice, long walk. Plus, it wouldn't cost us anything."

"_NO!_" Sora screamed in horror, as Kairi had hoped. He hated having to walk up the steep slope to the station. The thought of having to walk all the way to Sunset Terrace when he could travel by train terrified him, as he knew it would be difficult. "I don't wanna walk there, Kairi!"

"It doesn't matter," Pence chuckled, shaking his head in response to Kairi's teasing and Sora's screaming. "Quite often, it doesn't cost a thing to travel by train here."

"Really?" Kairi raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Wow. I wish it was free to travel by train on Destiny Islands."

"So let's go on this free train ride!" Sora grabbed Kairi by the wrist and raced towards the train, pulling the girl along with him. Kairi looked back at Hayner, Pence and Olette as she was dragged along, laughing.

The inside of the train was painted purple, and two long light brown couches were on each for passengers to sit. Once Sora and Kairi had jumped aboard, the fifteen-year old brunette boy stood on the spot, puffing and panting again, while Kairi folded her arms, smiling humorously at how unfit Sora was. Hayner, Pence and Olette rejoined them and jumped aboard the train.

Olette sat down on the couch that was on the right side of the train. She gently patted the spot on her right. "Sit next to me, Kairi."

Kairi nodded and sat down on Olette's right. She looked up at Sora, expecting him to sit on her right. Indeed, the spiky brunette-haired boy walked towards her to sit next to her, but before he could, he was pulled backwards, letting out a surprised cry, as Hayner took hold of his wrist and made him sit in the spot between himself and Pence. "C'mon, Sora. Sit down next to us boys."

Sora looked at Kairi with a disappointed expression, but she smiled softly at him, knowing that they could be standing close to each other as soon as the journey was over. Sora smiled back, thinking about the picture he intended to have with Kairi.

There was a hiss as the train doors slid shut. The teenagers then covered their years as the sound of a whistle blasted through the station building. Once the loud sound stopped, the train rolled away from the platform and into the darkness of the tunnel. For a few seconds, the only light inside the train came from the two lamps that hung from the ceiling above them. The outside light soon returned, however, as the train made its way out of the tunnel. It journeyed along the line, leaving the station behind and making its way to Sunset Terrace.

* * *

For most of the journey, the only sound that could be heard was the rattling of wheels as the train rushed along the track. Kairi and Olette had stopped chatting, and now, the brunette girl was looking over her shoulder out of the window, trying to keep herself from gazing at Hayner. She had no idea that the blond was looking wordlessly at her. Pence was staring into space while Kairi was looking down thoughtfully at her feet, swinging them.

Sora was looking at the red-haired girl as his mind raced with thoughts about her. _Kairi seemed very shocked when Hayner suggested that we were a couple, _he thought, thinking back to how the girl had reacted over the accusations of her being his girlfriend. _But I've always loved her more than anything, and will continue to love her, even after I die. But she's never known I love her. _

Sora looked down at his feet, scrunching up his face. _Can I go on living the rest of my life without her knowing?_

Looking up from his feet, Sora saw that Kairi was looking at him, smiling softly. Feeling better at the sight of her smile, Sora smiled back without saying a word. He looked out of the window behind him – so he did not see Kairi's smile fade as she looked down at her feet again.

_Hayner called me Sora's girlfriend, _she thought, feeling her heart beating fast as the two words coupled together went through her mind. _Nobody has ever called me that. I know I'm not – but I wish I was._

Kairi smiled as she thought of her and Sora walking together with their arms linked; the two of them as a proper couple. As she pictured Sora giving her a kiss on the cheek, she squeezed her eyes shut, as she longed for him to give her one, which made the soft smile on her face fade again, although she kept her eyes shut. _If Sora and I were a couple, then life would truly be even more perfect for me. But…he just sees me as a best friend…when I see him as my true love. As well as that…he's got cancer. Can I really tell him how I feel before he dies? It would hurt so much, but I don't know if I can go on living with the fact I love him without him knowing._

The screeching sound of brakes being put on suddenly bellowed through Kairi's ears. Along with the others, she jumped with surprise at the sound and pressed her hands to her ears, not liking the awful sound. She looked out of the window, noticing that the train was just pulling into a small station, its empty platform beneath a shelter. A timetable board was standing near the wall of the shelter, and a small flight of stairs led out of the station.

As soon as the train had come to a complete stop, the doors slid open with a hiss. Kairi and Sora jumped to their feet and stood in front of each other. They longed to take each other's hands, but they just smiled up at each other, wishing they could be a proper couple without knowing they both had the same feelings for each other and the same desire.

Hayner, Pence and Olette jumped out of the train and raced towards the staircase. Together, Sora and Kairi walked side by side through one of the doors and onto the station platform. They could see the others on a section of the staircase that turned to lead into the district. The two young residents from Destiny Islands joined their friends from Twilight Town, finding that they were standing beside a ticket booth with a sign above its window reading 'SUNSET STATION' in blue letters. They began to walk down the second part of the staircase, which turned to their left just before a row of semi-detached buildings that had been built with the use of yellow, orange and pink bricks.

Turning to their left, the teenagers walked down the last part of the staircase, stopping at the bottom. Kairi found herself standing in a district with a tall pink building nearby on top of an ever shorter staircase. To her left, she could see a tall purple viaduct with a small yellow tram slowly crossing it.

"This is it," Pence announced, grinning at Kairi's amazed expression. "Sunset Terrace."

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Now that the group are in Sunset Terrace, hopefully the next chapter will be a lot more interesting than this one. I'll do my best to make sure it is.


	31. Picture Perfect

**Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter. Here's the newest one, which, if you thought the last one was not that good, I hope you'll find more interesting.**

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"This is so beautiful!"

Kairi took a few steps forward, taking in her surroundings in amazement. Her jaw hung open as she looked from left to right, wanting to look around the district. As she looked towards the viaduct, she took her camera out of her pouch and held it up, pointing it towards the tall purple bridge. She fixed her eyes on the screen, and as a tram rolled over the viaduct, she pressed down on the button, capturing the yellow vehicle on the bridge into the memory of her camera.

"Do you like it here, Kairi?" Olette grinned widely at the red-haired fifteen-year old. She was sure that she already knew the answer.

Kairi smiled as she looked at the picture she had jut taken on the screen of the camera. Turning to Olette, she gave a nod. "Yes, Olette. You're right. This really is a lovely place to take pictures."

"And there's nicer things to take pictures of than a tram on a viaduct," Hayner chuckled.

Sora walked forward to join Kairi. He stood behind her and looked over her left shoulder to look at the screen of the camera to see the picture she had taken. "Well, Hayner, I dunno. Kairi's taken a really nice picture of that tram."

Kairi looked up from the camera to smile up at the spiky-haired boy with a blush. "Thanks, Sora. But I agree with Hayner. Some pictures with the lot of us in them would be nicer. Let's go and have some taken."

"Alright then, Kairi. Where shall we go?"

Pence stepped forward, raising a finger. "Well, the five of us could all have a picture on these steps."

Kairi smiled at Pence and nodded. "That's a good idea, Pence. A picture of all of us would be very nice."

"Yeah, but who's gonna take it?" Hayner muttered quietly, frowning down at the ground. "None of us will be able to get us all in _and _take the picture."

"So we'll ask someone, Hayner, you idiot." Olette turned to the blond-haired boy, pulling a face, as she was unable to believe he was unable to think of a solution to such a simple problem. She turned towards the steps and saw that an elderly woman, dressed in a long, flowing, sky blue cloak with a hood that covered her white hair, was walking slowly down them. Olette approached the steps and stopped at the foot of them, looking up at the woman. "Excuse me, could you take a picture of me and my friends, please?"

The woman smiled down at the girl. "Of course, dear. I'd be happy to do so. Where do you want the picture taken?"

Kairi approached the woman, setting her camera into shoot mode before holding it out. "We'd like it on these steps, please."

The woman nodded and took the camera from Kairi. As she turned to face the steps, walking backwards, the boys walked towards the steps to join the girls.

Sora stood in the centre of the middle step, and Kairi stood on the boy's right, grinning up at him as she put her left arm over his shoulders. The boy grinned back down at the girl, putting his right arm over her own shoulders. Kairi blushed and turned to her right, noticing Olette was standing next to her. The brunette-haired girl smiled at her friend from Destiny Islands, putting her left arm over her shoulders in a friendly manner. Grinning softly, the red-haired girl repeated Olette's action with her free arm. As she smiled at Kairi, Olette felt another arm going over her shoulders and looked to her right, smiling to see that it was Pence.

Frowning in jealousy, Hayner walked up to the chubby fifteen-year old boy, wearing a forced smile on his face. "Pence, can I go there, please?"

Turning to his older friend, Pence smirked, knowing why Hayner wanted him to move. "Why's that, Hayner?"

"I wanna stand by Olette."

Hearing that Hayner wanted to be next to her for the photograph, Olette blushed softly, feeling her heart beats increase speed. Sora and Kairi shared a grin while Pence's smirk widened as he removed his arm from Olette's shoulders. "Why? So you can put arm around her shoulders?"

"_NO!_" Hayner yelled out loudly in defence, glaring at Pence. "I just wanna stand by her, that's all."

"Excuse me," the woman called impatiently to Hayner. "Are you getting in the picture or not?"

Smiling, Pence walked over to stand on Sora's left side. As he put his right arm over his friend's shoulders, Hayner raised his left arm to put it around Olette's, when he suddenly remembered why everyone had been teasing the two of them. His hand hovered over Olette's shoulder. The girl looked at his arm, expecting it to go around her shoulders. Instead, Hayner merely dropped his hand onto the girl's left shoulder, not wanting the two of them to be teased any further. Olette frowned slightly, feeling disappointed that he had refused to put his arm over her shoulders, as she had wanted. Her heart was, however, still beating fast at the feeling of his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ready?" The women held the camera up in front of her, getting all of the teenagers into the view finder.

The teenagers turned to face the woman, all grinning widely in excitement and braced for the picture. "Ready!"

"One, two, three!"

As the woman pressed down on the button on the camera, the picture was taken. The teenagers removed their arms from each other's (although Hayner - to Olette's surprise - kept his hand on Olette's shoulder) and walked off of the steps, all still grinning. The woman handed Kairi her camera back and the teenagers all looked over the fifteen-year old red-haired girl's shoulders. They all shared an amazed gasp upon seeing themselves on the screen, grinning happily at the camera.

"It's brilliant!" Sora remarked, impressed.

"That's a wonderful picture," Olette smiled softly up at the woman. "You take lovely pictures."

The woman chuckled softly. "Oh, thank you, dearie."

"No, thank you," Kairi put in, smiling up at the woman. "We really love this picture."

"Oh, I'm glad you do." The woman turned around and walked towards the steps which the teenagers had used to enter the district. "Well, I must be going now. Goodbye."

"Bye!" the teenagers all called in unison, waving to the woman as she walked up the steps they had used earlier.

Kairi took one quick look at the picture on the screen, then set the camera back into shoot mode before walking towards the steps they had stood on to have the picture taken. "C'mon. Let's go find more nice parts of this place to have our pictures taken."

The others followed Kairi up the steps (while walking, Hayner removed his hand from Olette's shoulder). A stretch of tramline had been built along the raised level of the ground, and the teenagers had to walk along it, passing a building on their right that was beside the line before being able to walk on the safety of the concrete next to the line, just before a tram, which had been parked on the other end of the line, came rumbling along and passed them.

After walking along the tramline, once again, to cross a bridge that went over a man-built stream, they came to the end of the line. Olette pointed to their left. Rushing down the right wall, which had been built with dark pink and purple bricks, was a waterfall. Water was falling quickly into a small pool that was waiting at the bottom to collect it. It was the only sight in the direction the teenagers were looking at which held their attention. The rest of the area was simply an empty space of white path with grass growing around the edges and two small bushes growing the corners closest to the teenagers. A khaki building with orange roof tiles stood on the left. The only other sight was the viaduct, which was visible from where they were standing.

Olette walked down the steps that led to the space of path. She looked over her shoulder at Kairi. "Let's have a picture. Us two girls."

Kairi nodded, grinning at the sound of this idea, before turning to Sora, holding out her camera. "Could you please take the picture, Sora?"

"Sure, Kairi."

Sora took the camera from Kairi, smiling as the girl walked down the steps to join Olette, who was walking towards the waterfall. As Kairi joined the other girl, the boys walked down the steps, turned to their right and stood in front of the girls, who were now standing in front of the waterfall, side by side. They both grinned as they saw Sora hold the camera up in front of him, aiming it at them, while Hayner and Pence stood on the fifteen-year old brunette boy's right.

"How's this, Sora?" Kairi asked, holding her grin.

"It's great, Kairi. Are you two ready?"

"We're ready," the girls replied in unison.

"One, two, there!"

Sora pressed down on the button, taking the picture. He lowered the camera down, smiling when he was the two girls appear on screen. "It's really beautiful."

Hayner walked over to Sora to stand beside him. He looked down at the camera, smiling when he saw the picture on the screen. "Very nice."

Kairi and Olette walked forward to join the boys as Pence took the camera off of Sora to admire the picture. Grinning the moment he saw it, the chubby fifteen-year old handed the camera to Kairi, who shared a gasp with Olette when they saw themselves on the screen.

"Wow, Sora." Olette looked up at the boy who had taken her picture. "You know how to take lovely pictures."

"Thanks, Olette." Sora looked away from Olette to give Kairi a cheeky smile. "You still owe me a picture of the two of us."

Kairi blushed softly, grinning at Sora, as she had not forgotten what he wanted. She was determined to have the picture of them taken as soon as possible. She placed the camera back inside her pouch. "Where shall we go for it?"

"Oh, I know where!" Olette raised a finger, glancing from Sora to Kairi, smiling excitedly. "The most beautiful place in Sunset Terrace is perfect for a picture of you two!"

"Where is it?" Kairi asked curiously, eager to see the place Olette was talking about. It sounded to her like the best place in Twilight Town to have a picture with Sora.

Olette pointed her raised finger towards the small flight of steps they had walked down. Another set could be seen on the other side of the tramline, in between a small brick building and a purple and pink wall. "That way."

The brunette girl began to walk towards the first set of steps they had to walk up. Hayner walked at a quick pace to walk by her side. Deciding to let them walk alone, together, Pence walked behind his two best friends, leaving Sora and Kairi to walk behind him. The two young residents from Destiny Islands did not hold hands, but they smiled softly at each other, excited at the thought of having a photograph taken, together.

After walking up the two sets of steps, the teenagers found themselves facing a row of yellow buildings. Hayner led them up yet another set of steps on their left. A tall brick archway stood in front of them, next to a pink building. Hayner pointed at the archway, turning to Pence with a grin, then to Sora. "Let's have a picture! Us boys! C'mon!"

Pence nodded with a smile, following Hayner as he walked towards the archway. Sora and Kairi were slightly disappointed, as they wanted the picture of themselves to be taken first. However, Sora still liked the sound of having a picture with the other two boys, so he walked up to the archway, under which Hayner and Pence were standing, facing the girls, shooting wide grins at them.

As Sora stood in between Hayner and Pence, Olette turned from the boys to look at Kairi, who had taken the camera out of her pouch and was now holding it up in front of her. As soon as she saw the boys with the wide grins on their faces, she chuckled softly. "Okay, boys. One, two, three!"

Kairi pressed down on the button, and the image of the boys on the screen of the camera froze. The boys walked forward as Kairi held the camera closer to her head so that she and Olette, who was now standing beside her, could get a good look at the picture.

The boys stood behind the girls and looked at the picture on the screen of the camera. Hayner grinned when he saw himself in the picture, standing with his friends. "We look cool."

"Oh, yes, Hayner, you do." Olette looked over her shoulder, grinning back at Hayner. She gave a nod. "Very cool."

Hayner chuckled softly, feeling slightly touched by Olette's compliment towards him.

Turning away from Hayner, Olette pointed towards the archway. "C'mon. Let's go take Sora and Kairi to the place where they should have their picture."

Sora and Kairi shared a wide grin, glancing at each other. They let Hayner, Pence and Olette lead them under the archway as they walked side by side. They stepped onto a white path that went around a corner alongside a ledge, which only had a short, brown fence alongside it, before winding around a rocky hillside that had plants growing on it. The teenagers walked around the path, looking up at the sunset sky, which seemed to come closer. As they came nearer to the top, a brown wooden fence running alongside the edge came into view. They walked alongside the fence and stepped out onto the top of the hill, where Kairi let out an amazed gasp.

The top of the hill was flat, with empty space covering most of it. More of the wooden fence ran along the edges, along with grass and a few bushes growing in corners. A tall, white clock tower stood at the far end, the time showing quarter past three on its brown face with a yellow outline. Two glass lampshades that were covering a light bulb each were hanging alongside each side of the face. A wooden bench was on the right, just in front of part of the fence. On their left, high up in the sky was the sun.

"This is Sunset Hill," Olette told Kairi, who was looking around where they were in amazement. "I think it's the best place for a picture of you and Sora. What do you think?"

Unable to wait any longer, Kairi grabbed Sora by his left hand - taking him by surprise – and pulled him into the centre of the hilltop. She turned to the others, grinning widely. "I love this place! It really is the best place in Twilight Town for a picture of us! Where shall we stand?"

"Stand over on the left." Hayner pointed to where the sun was facing the hill. "That way, we can get the sun in. That would be nice."

Kairi nodded and dragged the excited Sora to the left of the hilltop, standing in front of where the sun was visible in the sky. She could feel the heat of the rays beating down on the back of her neck. The others walked over to join them, and Kairi held out the camera. "Could you take the picture, Hayner?"

"Sure." Hayner stood in front of the girl, taking the camera out of her hands. "I'd be glad to.

As Hayner stood a few steps back, Sora and Kairi glanced at each other with wide grins before turning to face the others, ready for the picture. Hayner frowned when he saw their standing positions. He turned to Pence and Olette, who shook their heads. Hayner turned to the two residents from Destiny Islands, also shaking his head. "You two can't go in a picture like that."

Sora and Kairi's grins faded, wondering what Hayner meant. The brunette-haired boy scratched his head in confusion. "What do you mean, Hayner?"

"There's a gap between you." Hayner pointed to the small space in between Sora and Kairi. "You two need to stand right next to each other."

Blushing softly, Sora took a step sideways to his right, closing the gap between where he and Kairi were standing. Kairi looked up at him, also blushing.

"Now, Sora, put your arm around Kairi," Pence ordered.

Sora looked at Kairi, smiling softly with his blush deepening. He slowly raised his right arm, sliding it over Kairi's shoulders. The girl smiled softly as she huddled closer to the boy.

"Hand on her shoulder, Sora," remarked Olette with a smile.

As soon as Sora's hand dropped onto her shoulder, Kairi's cheeks when from a faint pink to a deep red. She looked up at the boy, feeling very happy and ready to have the most beautiful picture taken with him.

"Okay, look this way," Hayner called to them, holding the camera up in front of him to get Sora and Kairi visible through the viewfinder. "Nice, big smiles."

Kairi and Sora turned to Hayner, grinning widely as they were ready to have their picture taken. They were looking forward to seeing it, but were enjoying standing next to each other while waiting for it to be taken. Sora tightened his arm around Kairi's shoulders.

"Ready?" Hayner called, grinning at how nice he thought Sora and Kairi looked, standing close together with the arm of the boy around the girl's shoulders. "One, two, three!"

The picture was taken the moment Hayner pressed the button on the camera. As he held the camera closer to his head for himself, Pence and Olette to see, Sora and Kairi remained where they were, enjoying standing close together, although they were very curious as to how the picture looked.

"Oh, it's wonderful!" Olette cried happily, pointing at the screen of the camera. "So beautiful."

"Yeah, it's the best picture, ever." Pence grinned. "You guys look amazing, together."

"We do?" Kairi gasped in disbelief, her eyes widening.

With a small smile, Hayner held out the camera to Kairi, the front of it facing her and Sora. "Have a look."

Kairi took the camera from Hayner, holding it close to her head. With his arm still around the girl's shoulders, Sora looked down at the camera. Kairi turned the small digital device around in her hands - and she and the brunette-haired boy gasped when they saw the picture of themselves on the screen. There they were, standing in front of the fence, the Sun high above them in the beautiful sky. Sora looked very happy to be standing close to Kairi, who looked just as happy to be standing close to him, as well as having his arm around her shoulders.

Hayner smiled when he saw their amazed reactions. "Do you like it?"

Sora and Kairi managed to look away from the picture on the camera's screen to gaze at each other. They grinned as widely as they had done when the picture had been taken, once again, blushing. They had to agree with Pence, for they thought it really was the best picture, ever.

Hayner, Pence and Olette smiled as they watched their friends grin at each other in silence. They knew they did not like the picture. It was obvious they loved it.

* * *

**I sure hope that was alright. I'm hoping that I'll have the next chapter up by December the 1st, because I'm planning to write some short Christmas stories. I've already written one, and am hoping to have about at least two or three written by the same date so that I can have them posted at the same time as the newest chapter to this story.**


	32. Kept in the Dark

**Here's yet another chapter in which not much happens, but fortunately, I managed to get it written and posted by the date I hoped. So that's good for me. :P**

* * *

The teenagers were soon back on board the train, returning to Central Station. This time, they were all sitting on the couch on the left side of the train. Kairi was sitting in between Sora and Olette, while Pence was sitting on the spiky-haired boy's right and Hayner was sitting on the left side of the girl he loved. Olette was holding the camera, scrolling through the pictures they had taken. She went through the memory of the camera to as far as the picture of Sora standing in front of the Gummi Ship, which she looked at in surprise. "Is that ship in this picture how two travelled here, Sora?"

"Yeah, so we can come and visit you guys whenever we like," Sora explained, grinning. "Donald and Goofy built it for us."

"Donald and Goofy?" Hayner turned to look at Sora, raising his eyebrows as he remembered the names. "Oh, how are they?"

"They're fine. We saw them two days ago, and they took us to King Mickey's castle – where Kairi and I were King and Queen for a day."

"King and Queen for a day?" Pence repeated loudly, looking at Sora with wide, amazed eyes.

"Yeah, and that was just because the King and Queen were going for a day out. Me and Kairi had a lovely time."

Turning away from the spiky-haired fifteen-year old boy, Pence smirked to himself. Sora, confused by Pence's sudden strange behaviour, tapped the chubby fifteen-year old on his left shoulder to make him reveal why he was looking away and smirking, only to be ignored. Hayner and Olette turned to each other, grinning and letting off small chuckles at the thought of Sora and Kairi sitting together on thrones whilst wearing crowns. Nobody noticed Kairi clasp her hands to her mouth, hiding her pink cheeks and her dropped jaw.

As the train entered the tunnel that led to the interior of Central Station, the horrible sound of screeching brakes shot into the teenagers' ears, making them cry out in discomfort from the noise entering their ears, vibrating their eardrums. Olette dropped the camera into her lap before covering her ears, as the others were doing.

The noise ceased the moment the train had slowed to a stop beside the station platform. The doors slid open with a hiss. Sighing in relief, the teenagers removed their hands from their ears. Olette pick the camera up from her lap and handed it to the girl sat next to her. "Here you go, Kairi."

"Thanks."

Taking the camera from Olette, Kairi held it out in front of her to look at the screen. She quickly scrolled through the saved pictures, stopping when she saw the picture of her and Sora standing on top of Sunset Hill. The blush return to her cheeks as she took in how happy the two of them looked in the picture, which was just as wonderful as she knew it would be before it was even taken. Kairi looked up from the camera at Sora, who had been looking down at the picture, but was now looking at her, grinning. Kairi grinned back softly, knowing from the expression on his face, Sora loved the picture as much as she did.

"C'mon, guys," Pence called loudly, jumping to his feet. "Let's get going."

Pence walked quickly towards one of the open doors, jumping out of the train and onto the platform. While he walked away from the train, Sora and Kairi stood up at the same time. They glanced at each other, exchanging small smiles, then walked towards the same door Pence had used to exit the train.

Hayner and Olette waited until the others had walked a few steps away from the train before turning towards each other. Slowly raising his left hand, Hayner offered it for the girl to take. Blushing softly, Olette took hold of the boy's hand, giving him a small smile. Hayner smiled back, leading the girl off the train.

Walking along the platform, the blond boy and the brunette girl could see their friends ahead of them, making their way towards the steps, their backs to them. Pence walked at a quick pace down the steps while Sora and Kairi followed him slowly, side by side, both smiling softly. They rejoined the chubby boy, who was waiting for them at the bottom with a grin. Walking towards the glass doors in front of them, Pence pulled open the door on the left so that Sora and Kairi could step into the large, empty room.

Once the two fifteen-year olds had passed through the door, Pence looked up towards the top of the staircase, noticing that his two best friends were not in sight. His grin widening, Pence stepped into the room, taking his hand off of the door to allow it to swing shut. "Hayner and Olette are taking their time to join us. I guess they're walking hand in hand – again."

Kairi shared Pence's wide grin. She let off a small giggle. "Let's not rush them. We should allow them to walk hand in hand-"

"Without letting them know we know they're going it!" Sora interrupted, chuckling loudly.

Pence nodded, grinning at the fact that his friends knew what he was going to suggest. "Too bad they didn't hold hands while we were in Sunset Terrace. We could have taken a picture of them holding hands, and I could have showed it to them while jeering at the same time. They'll probably check to make sure I'm not around whenever they go on their dates - or dinner without me, as they want me to think."

While Sora, Kairi and Pence were all having a laugh at the thought of Hayner and Olette being a couple, the blond boy and the brunette girl stopped at the top of the short staircase. They looked down towards the glass double doors, noticing their friends had their backs to them. Hayner and Olette shared a soft smile, thinking their friends did not know they were walking hand in hand. They turned to each other, blushing. Hayner gently squeezed Olette's hand before leading her slowly down the steps.

Stopping outside the double doors, Hayner let go of Olette's hand, pushing the door on his left open with his other hand. He walked into the large room, holding the door open. He was surprised to see Sora, Kairi and Pence standing in a row, all smiling, but not saying a word to each other. The blond boy had no idea that they had been laughing about him and the girl he loved, who was now stepping into the room.

As Hayner took his hand off of the door he was holding open, allowing it to swing shut, Sora pointed towards the double doors on the other side of the room, which would led them out into Station Heights.

The teenagers had started to walk towards the second set of double doors, when Kairi suddenly stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide. "Oh! I've just remembered something!"

Immediately, the others stopped and turned to the red-haired girl, surprised by her sudden exclamation. Sora was the most curious of them all. "Just remembered what, Kairi?"

Kairi stood as still as a statue, staring straight ahead. Her mind was racing with what she had managed to remember. She turned towards Sora, raised her left arm and pointed towards the double doors they had been walking towards. "Sora, go outside for a minute."

"Aren't you coming?" Sora frowned, growing more confused as he wondered what was on Kairi's mind.

"Yes, I am. But I need to talk to Hayner, Pence and Olette in private for a minute."

"In private?" Sora's frown faded, but the curiosity continued to race though his mind. "What about?"

"Well, I can't tell you, I'm sorry. Now please, will you just wait outside for a few minutes?"

Sora turned to the others, who were looking just as confused as he was by what Kairi wanted. They all turned to face him, silently ordering him to wait outside, as they were eager to know what Kairi wanted to tell them. Turning back to the red-haired girl, Sora gazed sympathetically when he saw Kairi's desperate expression. Realizing that she really needed to speak to the others without him around, Sora turned around with a sigh and walked towards the double doors, unable to see the sorrowful look on Kairi's face as she watched him walk away.

Pulling open the glass door on his right, Sora stepped out of the building. As he walked down the steps, he heard the station clock high above him chime away, letting him, along with the residents of the town, know that the time was four o'clock in the afternoon. He sat down on the bottom step, looking over his shoulder.

Through the glass double doors, Sora could see Kairi standing in front of the others, who had their backs facing him. He could see the girl's lips move as she explained to them what she did not want him to hear. The glass of the double doors proved to be a perfect sound insulator, as he could not hear a word Kairi was telling the others. He did not, however, intend on barging through the doors to at least catch a few words of what Kairi was saying so that he could piece together what she was keeping from him. He knew the right thing to do would be to let Kairi keep her secret, but he hoped it was not something as terrible as the secret he had kept from her while he had been in hospital.

Squinting, Sora saw a smile form on the red-haired girl's face. He could see her nod as she listened to the others reply to whatever she had told him. Guessing that she had now said what she needed to, Sora turned away. He remained sitting where he was, staring down at the ground. He heard the double doors being pushed open. Jumping to his feet, Sora spun around, seeing Kairi and the others emerge through the double doors, all smiling.

"You okay, Sora?" Hayner nodded the brunette-haired boy's direction, trying to sound casual and friendly.

"Have you been told what you've needed to hear?" Sora asked, frowning slightly at Hayner.

Olette stood alongside Sora, smiling comfortingly, as she understood how the boy felt about having secrets being kept from him. "Yes, we have, Sora. But please don't take offense. You'll soon find out what it is."

Sora's eyes widened in surprise. "I will?"

As Olette nodded while the five teenagers started to walk away from the station and down the sloped street, Sora turned to Kairi, who was smiling softly at him. The girl's smile, as well as Olette's reassurance, told him that whatever was being kept from him, it did not seem like something terrible. It did, however, make him even more desperate to find out what it was, but he now more excited than anxious.

* * *

After walking through the town once again, the teenagers stopped in front of Sora's new Gummi Ship, which Hayner, Pence and Olette looked at with amazement. The brunette fifteen-year old girl took a few steps forward to admire it. "This is the ship you used to travel here, right?"

"Sure is," Sora replied proudly, standing on the side of the Gummi Ship to pull open the side door. "Donald and Goofy sure did a great job on it. It got us here with no trouble. You guys will have to take a ride in it."

"Yes," Hayner grinned widely at Sora, nodding, "we will."

Sora stood at the front of the ship, where Kairi was standing, facing the others. He raised a hand to wave to them, smiling. "Thanks for giving us a lovely day, you guys."

"We sure had a wonderful time," Kairi added with a grin, also raising her hand.

"We're glad you did," Olette remarked, waving back to her two friends from Destiny Islands. "Thanks for coming to Twilight Town. It sure was nice to see you."

Hayner raised his hand, still grinning widely in Sora's direction. "We'll see you soon."

As he grinned back at Hayner while waving, Sora did not notice the smile on Kairi's face widen as she glanced up at him before continuing to wave at her friends who she was about to leave behind.

Pence raised his hand, waving madly with a huge smile. "Bye, Sora. Bye, Kairi."

After the two groups of teenagers exchanged farewells, Kairi walked around to the side of the Gummi Ship and climbed inside. Sora followed her, pulling the side door shut behind him. Hayner, Pence and Olette halted their waving, keeping their hands raised, then continued to wave when Sora and Kairi became visible through the windshield, sitting down in the seats and strapping themselves in.

Whilst Sora punched the buttons on the control desk, Kairi waved back to her waving friends. As the fifteen-year old brunette-haired boy took hold of the joystick with his right hand, he waved back to Hayner, Pence and Olette as the Gummi Ship rose up above the ground.

The three young residents from Twilight Town lowered their hands, watching as the ship began to hover once it had rose past the roofs of the nearby buildings. It rotated around one hundred-and eighty degrees, then flew up into the sky to leave Twilight Town, heading back to Destiny Islands.

**

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**

Now, I bet you're all wondering what it is Kairi is keeping secret from Sora. All I will say is that it's to do with what Nikkou asked her to do. ;) Don't worry, you'll find out, just like Sora will. But you're gonna have to be in suspense for now. :P


	33. Sleepover Invitation

**And here is yet another chapter where nothing really happens. Really sorry if my chapters have been boring as of late. :(**

* * *

Sora smiled when he saw Destiny Islands come into view through the windshield. He gripped the joystick which he was using to steer the ship through the blue atmosphere towards his home world. He was growing tired from all of the flying he had been doing in he been doing for the past few hours, but he was not ready to go to bed. He assumed the time was seven o'clock, which meant that although it would now be dark on Destiny Islands, the night would still be early, and he was hoping to spend a few more hours with Kairi.

While Sora flew the Gummi Ship into the atmosphere of his home world, Kairi looked down at her camera, which she was holding in her hands. She smiled softly as she scrolled through the pictures that had been taken during the day. She had really enjoyed her day with Sora, as she always did whenever the two of them spent a whole day in each other's company. Kairi felt extremely grateful towards Sora for their visit to Twilight Town, and also getting a chance to see Hayner, Pence and Olette again. She kept pressing the right scroll button on her camera, watching as the pictures were displayed on the screen, one after the other, until the one of herself and Sora standing on Sunset Hill was shown. Kairi held the camera up closer to get a better look at it, grinning. She was thinking about a certain day that was coming, which she was looking forward to – and she knew that Sora was, too.

Kairi felt the Gummi Ship land gently onto the wood of the smaller island's pier, which snapped her out of her thoughts. She put the camera back inside her pouch, then took her safety belt off. As she looked to her left, she saw Sora, still sitting in his seat with his safety belt already off. The boy was offering his right hand to her with a wide grin. Grinning back, Kairi took his hand and let him pull her to her feet as he stood up. They walked around towards the side door, which Sora pulled open with his free hand. The dark night sky became visible through the open doorway, thousands of gleaming stars lighting it up. A few seagulls could be heard cawing as they flew just above the sea, searching for a late night meal.

Leading Kairi out of the Gummi Ship with her hand still in his, Sora pulled the side door of the ship shut. He walked slowly along pier towards the top of the ladder, gently squeezing Kairi's hand.

Kairi looked up at the boy as she followed him along the pier, smiling happily up at him. "Thanks for taking me to Twilight Town, Sora. I've had yet another wonderful day."

"It's okay, Kairi." Sora looked down at the girl, smiling back, as he was glad to see she was happy. "But it's not that late. Why don't you come over to my house? I'm sure Mom will let you."

Her smile widening, Kairi nodded eagerly. "Yes, please, Sora. I hope it's okay with your Mom."

Sora grinned down confidently at the girl. "I'm sure it will be."

* * *

Not long after they had rowed through the sea in their boats and arrived together back on the main island, Sora and Kairi were entering the street where they lived. It was lit up brightly by the streetlights, as well as the stars. The two teenagers slowly walked along the sidewalk, both wanting to enjoy the look of the stars in the night sky. They intended to walk past straight Kairi's house and go straight into Sora's – but when they came nearer to the girl's house, they were stopped in surprise by what they saw.

Nikkou was standing on the doorstep of Kairi's house. She was banging on the door with her fist, unaware that the two people she was looking for were not inside the house, although they were in the street, watching her. They knew she was looking for them, and although she had her back to them, they could hear her heavy breathing, which told them she was worried.

"Mom!" Sora called loudly, running along the sidewalk, pulling Kairi along. He stopped in front of the fence of the girl's front garden, waving to the back of his panicking mother. "We're here."

Her ears perking up, Nikkou's heaving breathing stopped instantly. She looked over her shoulder, smiling in relief to see her son and the girl he loved standing in front of the fence, safe and looking unhurt. She walked along the path towards the gateway. "Sora! Kairi! You're finally back! I was really worried about the both of you!"

"Mom, we were only gone for a few hours," Sora sighed with embarrassment, shaking his head.

Walking out through the gateway, Nikkou stood in front of them, looking at Sora. "Well, I had to see if you were back, Sora. Tonight, we have to go to your aunt's."

"Tonight?" Sora's face fell, looking at his mother with disappointment. He had not expected his mother to have any plans to go anywhere which he would have to go to. He had really been hoping and expecting his mother would let Kairi come into their house for a few hours.

Kairi was also disappointed to hear Nikkou's news, as she knew it meant she could not go to Sora's house. She had never met the boy's aunt, and she did not think even Nikkou would be able to let her come. She and the boy would have to leave each other for the night.

"Yes, Sora, I'm sorry." Nikkou could sense both teenagers' disappointment. "I know you would like to spend more time with Kairi, but we _have_ to go. Your aunt really wants to see you."

Sora looked down with a small nod. He understood, as he was sure his aunt (who was his mother's older sister) would have been informed that he had cancer, and would be devastated at the thought of losing him. It meant he would have to give up having a fun evening with Kairi, but even though he had already succeeded in giving her a wonderful day, he was upset with himself, as he felt he was letting her down. "I'm sorry, Kairi."

Kairi smiled softly up at Sora. She could tell he was feeling bad, and she did not want him to. He had given her a wonderful day that she would never forget, along with the previous three days. She gently squeezed his hand, reaching up to run her free hand through his hair. "It's okay, Sora. You don't have to be sorry. I've had a lovely day, thanks to you. Now you need to go to see your aunt. She needs to see you."

"But will you be okay?" Sora replied quickly, his blue eyes full of worry.

"I'll be fine, Sora," Kairi smiled gratefully up at him, squeezing his hand again. "Thank you for another lovely day."

As an assured grin crept across his face, Sora squeezed Kairi's hand in return. "You're welcome, Kairi. I'll see you tomorrow."

Giggling, Kairi grinned back, knowing that the next day, she certainly would see Sora. "See you, Sora. Bye, Nikkou."

"Bye, Kairi," Nikkou replied with a smile, beginning to walk down the sidewalk. She looked over her shoulder as she made her way towards where her house stood, waving to the girl.

Sora, however, did not start to follow his mother down the street. He was still standing in front of Kairi, grinning down at her with his hand still holding hers. Kairi giggled softly before gently pulling her hand out of his (which she did not really want to do). She tilted her head in the direction Nikkou was walking, silently ordering the boy to go after her.

Smiling a little sadly, Sora raised the hand he had been using to hold onto Kairi's for a lot of the day. He began to wave his hand to the girl, walking backwards slowly down the sidewalk.

Waving and smiling back, Kairi watched Sora turn around and race to catch up with Nikkou the moment she had come to a stop in front of her car, which was parked on the driveway. The girl could see Sora wave to her for a few more seconds before pulling open the door to the front passenger seat. He climbed into the car while Nikkou entered it through the door to the driver's seat. Both of them closed the doors behind them.

Kairi decided to wait a little longer to see if Nikkou would drive the car past her. As a small, cold breeze blew past her, causing her arms to be covered in goose bumps, Kairi could hear the engine of Nikkou's car being turned on. She saw the front headlamps lighting up, shooting two white beams of light ahead of the vehicle.

The car's engine hummed quietly for a few seconds, then Kairi could see the vehicle moving forwards out of the drive. As she had hoped, the car was steered to its right, which meant it would drive pass her. Kairi smiled softly, watching as the car drove down the road towards her. Just as it was about to pass her, Sora and Nikkou came into view through the windshield. Nikkou tooted the horn while Sora waved madly to Kairi. She waved back to him, still smiling, as she looked at the boy she loved for the final time of the night. The car proceeded to pass her with Sora still waving, then it drove down the street, its red tail lamps shining in the dark. It turned left at the T junction at the end of the street – it's left yellow indicator light flashing – and disappearing out of sight.

Sighing, Kairi lowered her hand, knowing she would not be seeing Sora again for the rest of the night. She had enjoyed her day with him, but felt a little sad at the fact that the night was still early, yet she would not get to do anything with Sora until the next day.

With another sigh, Kairi walked through the gateway and approached the front door of her house, She decided she would go to bed early so that she would have plenty of sleep, ready for the next day.

"Hey, Kairi."

Freezing on the spot upon hearing a familiar voice calling her name, Kairi looked over her shoulder to see Selphie running happily along the sidewalk, stopping in front of the gateway. She was looking at her older friend with wide eyes and a happy smile.

"Oh, hi, Selphie." Kairi turned around and walked towards the fourteen-year old girl, glad to see her. "I've just come back from spending another lovely day with Sora."

"What did you do?" Selphie's eyes widened with excitement, as she desperately wanted to hear how Sora had treated Kairi throughout the day. She knew wherever they had been, Kairi would have enjoyed herself.

"We went to a world that we both went to some time ago, where the sun is always setting."

"The sun always setting?" Selphie gazed at her older friend, confused and finding what she had just told her hard to believe. "How is it able to always set? Doesn't it ever go down?"

Kairi shook her head.

"Wow. That sounds pretty strange." A wide grin crept upon Selphie's face. "But it sounds so wonderful, too. It was very kind of Sora to take you there, Kairi."

"It really was." Kairi looked down miserably, the smile on her face fading. "But he's had to go over to his aunt's now. So I'm on my own."

Selphie could see that her friend was upset at the thought of being on her own when the night was still early. She smiled comfortingly, not needing any time to decide how to make her feel better. "You don't have to be on your own, Kairi."

Kairi looked up, puzzled. "What do you mean, Selphie?"

Selphie opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated when her mother came walking up behind her on the sidewalk, stopping in front of the fence when she saw Kairi. Mrs Tilmitt was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing on the day she and Selphie had visited Sora at the hospital. She was carrying a shopping bag in her right hand. What was inside there, Kairi could not see a trace of.

Mrs Tilmitt noticed the red-haired girl standing outside her house. She turned towards her to smile softly at her. "Hello, Kairi."

"Hello, Mrs Tilmitt."

"Mom!" Selphie addressed her mother, her voice full of hope. "Kairi's all alone at her house. Can she come over for a sleepover tonight?"

"A sleepover? Tonight?" Kairi remarked with surprise. "Oh, Selphie, I-"

"Sure she can," Mrs Tilmitt smiled cheerfully, glancing at her daughter before turning back to the fifteen-year old girl. "That is, if you would like to, Kairi."

Kairi blushed nervously, unsure if Selphie's mother would be without any trouble having her over her house for the night. "Well, only if it's okay with you. I mean, it is a bit of short notice, and-"

"It's fine, Kairi," Mrs Tilmitt chuckled softly, nodding. "We'd be glad to have you over our house for the night, and it would make Selphie very happy. Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to."

Kairi looked over her shoulder towards her house. Rejecting Mrs Tilmitt's offer would mean she would be all alone in the dark house while her father was wherever he was needed throughout almost every day and night. Although she would not be spending the last few hours of the night with Sora, Kairi was grateful that another good friend was offering her the chance to stay at her house for the night, and that her mother was willing to let her. She would then be able to enjoy the night.

Turning to Selphie and Mrs Tilmitt with a wide smile, Kairi nodded her head. "Yes, please, Mrs Tilmitt. I _will _stay at your place for the night. Thank you so much for letting me."

"It's no problem, Kairi," Mrs Tilmitt smiled, glad to know that the girl wanted to stay at her house overnight and was happy to do so.

Kairi turned to Selphie, still smiling gratefully. She was feeling very happy to have such a helpful and kind friend, no matter how hyperactive and ditzy she was. "And thank you so much for inviting me, Selphie. I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

Selphie grinned softly, touched by Kairi's gratitude towards her and very happy she could help her friend. "It's okay, Kairi. I'm just glad you're happy to come over."

Kairi shot a grin back at Selphie before turning towards her house. "I'd better go and pack some stuff."

"Okay, Kairi, that's fine," Mrs Tilmitt replied with a nod, beginning to walk along the sidewalk once again. "When you've packed, come on over to our house. We'll be waiting for you."

"See you later, Kairi," Selphire called cheerily, waving to her friend as she started to follow her mother down the sidewalk.

"Okay, bye, Selphie!" Kairi called after the younger girl, waving to her as she watched her walk down the street. "See you later!"

As soon as Selphie and Mrs Tilmitt had disappeared down the street, Kairi turned towards her house and walked up to the front door. Taking the key to the door out of her pouch, she unlocked the door and disappeared into the house, closing the door behind her.

After switching on the ceiling light of the lounge, using the switch on the wall, Kairi put the key back inside her pouch. She raced up the staircase to go to her room, about to start packing what she needed to take to the sleepover she was about to go to.

* * *

**Yeah, really sorry if you thought the sleepover was going to be at Sora's, and if the fact that it's at Selphie's disappointed you. Thing is, I felt my chapters were getting repetitive with each day ending with Kairi just going to bed at her house. I decided having a sleepover with be interesting, but I thought the idea of Kairi sleeping at Sora's was used somewhere else, or at least something similar. Then I came up with the idea of her going to Selphie's, and I thought that would be kind of interesting.**

**I would have carried on writing and included the sleepover in this chapter, but I felt this is enough for one chapter, even if it's not that good. Also, I want the sleepover scene to be entertaining, so I'll have to have a think about what to put in it.**


	34. Upsetting Birthday Gift

**Good news! :D I'm now off work for Christmas! So hopefully, I can make my updates faster! :P**

**Anyway, here's the newest chapter, which I think is a bit more interesting than previous chapters.**

* * *

Kairi was soon walking past rows of dark streets, making her way to Selphie's house. A black rucksack was on her back, hung by its two straps which were over her shoulders. All that it was carrying were a pair of pink pyjamas and a red toothbrush. Kairi had decided not to waste too much time packing things that she would not need or anything she knew that Selphie would kindly let her use. She wanted to quickly get to the fourteen-year old's house so that she could enjoy the night. Kairi wondered if Selphie would want to know what she and Sora had been doing throughout the day.

Turning to her right, Kairi entered the street where Selphie lived. She crossed the road to the left side of the street before proceeding to walk along the sidewalk, looking at each of the houses she strode past. The street lamps were clearly showing the blackness of the tarmac road, and they were able to make the lawns in front of each house still look a bright green, even at night time.

Spotting Selphie's house amongst the row of houses she was walking past, Kairi walked past the last few houses before stopping in front of the building that was home to her friend. She glanced at Mrs Tilmitt's blue car, which was parked in the driveway next to the house, before turning to open the gate built into the white fence. Kairi stepped onto the garden path, gently closing the gate behind her. She walked along the path, stopping just before the front door of the house. Kairi made a fist with her right hand, then knocked on the door.

As soon as she lowered her fist, the door was pulled open, and she was met by a smiling Mrs Tilmitt, who was standing in the doorway with her left hand on the door handle. "Hi, Kairi. Did you get here alright?"

"Yes, I did, thanks."

Smiling back, Kairi stepped into the hallway, which had very little space. The walls were painted a bright green, while the floorboards were covered by a blue, cotton carpet, which Kairi put her rucksack down onto after taking it off of her shoulders. On her right was a door, which led into the living room, and was now swinging shut, as Mrs Tilmitt had just walked through it. In front of her was the staircase, also covered in blue carpet. Kairi looked towards the top of the stairs, where a bedroom door was visible on the wall.

"Selphie's up in her room," Mrs Tilmitt told Kairi, grinning softly. "She's waiting for you."

"Okay. I'll go on up and see her." Kairi slipped her feet out of her shoes, which she picked up and placed beside the wall. She picked up her rucksack by one of its handles. "Thanks again, for inviting me over to stay the night."

"It's no problem, Kairi. We are very glad to have you with us for the night."

After Mrs Tilmitt disappeared through the door that led to the living room, Kairi began to walk up the stairs.

As she was halfway up, she could see the bedroom door slightly open, and Selphie looked out through it with a grin aimed directly at her. "Kairi! You're finally here! Come on in, and as soon as you're comfortable, I want you to tell me everything Sora has been doing for you during the week!"

"I will, Selphie," Kairi chuckled joyfully as she reached the top of the stairs. "Don't worry."

Smiling, Selphie pulled the door open wider and took a few steps backwards. Kairi walked past her, giving her a smile, and stopped on the spot once she had entered the room, looking at her bed for the night.

Due to regularly inviting friends to come to her house for sleepovers, Selphie owned bunk beds. They stood on the left hand side of the room, both covered by a thick duvet inside a yellow cover with a large pillow resting at the top. All four walls of the room were painted yellow. A door leading to a cupboard was on the right wall, and a wooden desk stood in front of the rear wall with a white desktop computer sitting on it, along with its keyboard and mouse. A desk lamp stood next to the computer, dimly lighting up the room, so there was no need for Selphie to turn on the lamp that hung from the white ceiling, covered by a blue lampshade.

Kairi walked alongside the bottom bunk before sitting down onto it, knowing it would be where she would be sleeping, as she had always slept in it every time she spent the night at Selphie's. She placed her rucksack down onto the white carpet, which covered all of the floorboards in the room.

Selphie walked over to the wooden desk, pulling out the single wooden chair that was tucked under it. She lifted it up, carrying it across the room before placing it down onto the carpet, turning it so that it faced Kairi. Selphie sat down on the chair and looked at her friend, letting off a giggle. "So, come on. What have you and Sora been doing after he took you to that restaurant?"

* * *

Three hours later, Kairi and Selphie were changed into their long-sleeved pyjamas. Kairi's pyjamas were made of pink wool, while Selphie's were made of yellow silk. The fourteen-year old was still sitting on the wooden chair, listening with awe as Kairi told her about spending the day in Twilight Town with Sora, as well as Hayner, Pence and Olette.

"We took some pictures while we were there," Kairi told Selphie. She jumped to her feet and opened the pouch on her mini-dress, which was hanging by a clothes hanger that had its hook around one of the bars of the bunk beds. Kairi took out the camera, which she had left on when she had put it back inside the pouch upon arriving back at Destiny Islands with Sora. She glanced at the screen, smiling to see the picture of her and Sora on Sunset Hill, before holding it out towards Selphie. "Just use the left and right buttons to scroll through the pictures."

Selphie took the camera from Kairi, feeling a little excited to see the pictures. She turned the camera in her hands so that the screen faced her – and she let of a delighted gasp when she saw the picture that was displayed on the screen. "Oh, you and Sora look so lovely in this picture! Is that Twilight Town?"

"Yes, it is." Kairi blushed softly with a grin, feeling touched by Selphie's compliment towards her and Sora standing together in a picture.

"Oh, it looks like a wonderful place with that sunset! It makes the picture so beautiful, especially with you two standing in it, side by side."

"Thanks, Selphie. Sora told me that he wanted the two of us to have a picture. I became very eager to get one taken, though I had to wait a while, since we were having some pictures taken with our friends who live in Twilight Town. But they soon led us to that wonderful part of Twilight Town, and we had that picture taken – and I loved having my picture taken with Sora."

Selphie grinned softly up at Kairi before looking down at the screen again. Using the buttons on the camera, she scrolled through the pictures that had been taken in Twilight Town. Selphie was very amazed by the different sights of the town, hoping that one day, she could get to visit it.

"Oh, by the way, Selphie," Kairi exclaimed suddenly, remembering what she had told Hayner, Pence and Olette without Sora hearing. "I need to ask you something."

Looking up from the screen, which was now displaying the picture of Kairi standing by the ledge that was in front of Central Station, Selphie grinned at her friend, wondering what it was she wanted to ask her. "What is it?"

* * *

Downstairs, Mrs Tilmitt was in the kitchen, standing in front of the cupboard. The kitchen was very small, its four walls painted a yellow. The floor was covered in white marble tiles. The cupboard Mrs Tilmitt was standing in front of was in between the fridge and another cupboard, on which the sink had been installed. The stove stood on the other side of the cupboard which had the sink, and the washing machine sat in the top left hand corner of the room, a pile of soaking wet laundry lying in front of it on the floor. A large window with a white pane was on the right wall. The window's net blinds had been hoisted upwards, revealing the darkness of the night.

Mrs Tilmitt had poured some steaming hot tea from the cream-coloured teapot, which stood at the end of the worktop, into two cups; one yellow, the other blue. Next to the two cups was a plate that was full of home-baked chocolate chip cookies. Mrs Tilmitt knew Kairi enjoyed her homemade cookies, as she was usually given some of them to eat whenever she came to their house.

Bending down, Mrs Tilmitt opened the cupboard, which contained lots of plates and glasses, along with a cutlery holder which was holding some knives, forks and spoons, to pull out a white plastic tray. She placed it down onto the worktop before placing the two cups of tea onto it, followed by the plate of cookies.

Carefully picking up the tray with both hands, Mrs Tilmitt walked out through the kitchen door, which had been left open. She paced along the light blue carpet that covered the floor of living room, which had its walls covered in lime green wallpaper, a few pictures of Selphie on them. There was barely anything inside the living room. Against the right wall was a couch, made of black leather. It had been positioned where it was so that anyone sitting on it could see the black television, which was sitting opposite the couch on a small, wooden table, a plastic, purple vase of roses on top of it. An armchair made of black leather had its back against the front wall, right beside the window that looked out at the front garden and the street.

Going out through the open door that led to the hallway, Mrs Tilmitt started to walk up the staircase. She had barely made it up five stairs when, to her astonishment, she heard her daughter cry out in excitement.

"Of course I'll do that, Kairi!" Selphie could be heard shouting behind her bedroom door. "It'll be so brilliant! I can't wait for that day to come!"

"Thanks, Selphie. I can't wait for it, either. It'll be really lovely."

Wondering what the two girls were talking about, Mrs Tilmitt walked quickly up the stairs and stopped outside Selphie's bedroom door. She gently tapped it with her right foot to push it open, and was surprised to see Selphie rocking back and forth in her chair, grinning excitedly, while Kairi was giggling softly at her friend's enthusiasm.

"What are you two talking about?" Mrs Tilmitt asked curiously, stepping into the room. "I couldn't help overhearing you saying you're going to do something."

Selphie stopped rocking to look up happily at her mother. "Oh, Mom! Kairi has got something planned to do, and she wants me to help her, which I am going to! I can't wait!"

Mrs Tilmitt, having no idea what her daughter was talking about, placed the tray she was carrying down onto the carpet. She stood up straight and looked at her daughter, confused. "What are you two doing?"

"I'll tell you soon, Mom."

Mrs Tilmitt chuckled and placed her hands on her sides. "It'll have to be tomorrow, Selphie, because now, I'm going to bed. Please don't do talk too loudly, because I'm really tired."

"We won't, Mom," promised Selphie.

"And thanks for these cups of tea and cookies," Kairi added gratefully, nodding towards the tray on the carpet.

"It's okay," Mrs Timitt smiled, stepping backwards out of the bedroom. "Goodnight, Kairi. Goodnight, Selphie."

"Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, Mrs Tilmitt."

Taking hold of the door handle with her left hand, Mrs Tilmitt waved to the girls with her free hand before pulling the door shut. She walked towards her room, which was on the right end of the upstairs landing, disappearing through the door.

Inside Selphie's room, the fourteen-year old girl sat down on the carpet to pick up the yellow cup of tea by its handle. She took a sip from it before, using her free hand, picking up the blue cup of tea, passing it up to Kairi. As the fifteen-year old took the cup from her friend by its handle, Selphie picked up the plate of cookies and offered them to Kairi, who proceeded to take one with a smile.

Selphie placed the plate back down onto the tray and took a cookie for herself. She took a bite out of it, munching happily on it, before swallowing and looking up at Kairi. "Have you gotten a birthday gift for Sora yet, Kairi?"

Kairi was taking a sip from her cup of tea. She lowered the cup from her mouth, which was smiling. "Not yet, Selphie. But you should know that that I'm defiantly going to get him something, and I know just what to get him."

The fifteen-year old continued to smile to herself, thinking about what she intended to get Sora. She did not notice Selphie looking up at her curiously until she finally snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at her friend. "Have you gotten him a gift yet?"

Selphie grinned proudly. "That's what Mom and I were coming back from when we saw you outside your house. We had to do some shopping, and the item on top of our list was a gift for Sora."

"Can I see it, please?" Kairi asked, wondering what Selphie would be handing to Sora on his birthday.

Nodding, Selphie placed her cup of tea down onto the tray. She placed the rest of her cookie into her mouth, chewed on it and swallowed, then jumped to her feet to walk over to the cupboard on the right wall. "I really think Sora will love this gift."

Kairi took a bite out of her cookie, looking towards Selphie. "I'm looking forward to seeing it."

Selphie pulled open the cupboard door. She reached into the cupboard and, with an excited cry, pulled out a thick, white pillow. "This is it!"

"A pillow?" Kairi remarked with a smile. "That's what you're giving Sora?"

"Yeah, I saw these in the bedding shop, and I noticed how nice, thick and soft they are. I thought it would be a great gift for Sora, since he loves sleeping on the beach so much. If he has one of these thick pillows to take with him to the beach, he can have sleep even better, feeling more comfortable and-"

Kairi suddenly began to pant hard, pressing her hand to her heart, dropping her half-eaten cookie. Selphie talking about how much Sora loved to sleep on the beach reminded her of what he was going through, which was putting his life at risk, meaning she could lose him and never see him, again. Kairi could not bear the thought or control her emotions. Tears had built up in her eyes and were not starting to run down her cheeks.

Seeing Kairi start to cry, Selphie stopped talking about her reasons why she thought a pillow was a good gift for Sora. She was about to ask Kairi what was wrong, but then suddenly realized why, remembering that Sora had been infected with cancer, due to sleeping on the beach. She let off a loud gasp, dropping the pillow as she clutched her hands to her mouth. She looked down at the pillow in horror, her eyes beginning to tear up. "Kairi…I'm…I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, Selphie," Kairi whispered softly, wiping away her own tears. She knew her friend did not mean to buy a gift for Sora that would upset her.

Selphie began to sob softly, feeling very heartbroken and ashamed of herself. She was just as frightened as Kairi over the thought of losing Sora, and she was very angry with herself for buying him a gift that had reminded Sora's closest friend about how he had gotten cancer.

Kairi looked sadly at the crying Selphie, feeling even more devastated at seeing her good friend cry. Having no idea of how to cheer her up, Kairi looked down, deciding it was time to go to sleep. She drained the rest of the tea in her cup down her throat, then leaned forward to place the empty cup onto the tray. "Selphie, please. I'm feeling tired now. Can we go to sleep?"

Managing to control her sobs, Selphie quietened down as she looked up at Kairi, tears still running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Kairi. Please don't be mad at me."

"It's okay, Selphie," Kairi murmured quietly with a sad smile. "I'm not mad at you."

Wiping away her tears, Selphie walked towards the wooden desk to turn off the desk lamp. She walked across the dark the room to the bunk beds. Taking hold of each side of the ladder, which was screwed to the side of the bunk beds, Selphie started to climb it. She reached her bed and crawled onto it. Selphie pulled the duvet back, lay down and rested her head on the pillow, pulling the duvet over herself.

Kairi stood up to pull the duvet on the bottom bunk back. She sadly lay down on the soft mattress, pulled the duvet over herself and rested her head onto the pillow, letting off a small, tired sigh. "Goodnight, Selphie."

"Goodnight, Kairi."

Selphie did not immediately go to sleep. She lay in her bed, letting more tears leak out of her eyes. She listened to the silence of the dark room, trying to hear any sounds from Kairi. No sounds could be heard from the bottom bunk, and Selphie was too afraid to look down to see if Kairi was crying silently, just in case she became very angry with her.

Rolling over in her bunk, Selphie closed her teary eyes, sighed sadly and within minutes, drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**One of the hardest things about preparing to write this chapter was thinking of a gift for Selphie to give to Sora, which I thought would be important to include. I kept thinking, but it was hard to come up with something good. I eventually decided on a pillow, thinking that would certainly cause a bit of emotions to run in this chapter, due to what Sora's constant naps have earned him.**

**Well, as I said at the start; hopefully, my next updates will come a lot faster than my most recent ones have arrived. :P**


	35. Waking with Gloominess

**Sorry you've had to wait so long for a new chapter. :( I didn't get much of a chance during my Christmas holidays, due to lots of things taking up my time. When I had a bit of a chance, I did not quite know what to put in it to make it interesting.**

**Well, here's the newest chapter. I hope there's still people out there who are reading this story.**

* * *

The moment Selphie opened her eyes, the next morning, a fresh tear worked its way out of her left eye as she remembered how upset Kairi had been when she had been informed of the pillow and reminded of Sora getting cancer.

Sighing, she threw the duvet off herself before getting to her knees and lowering her right leg down beside the bunk until her foot was on the top rung of the ladder. Selphie started to nervously climb down the ladder, worried over if Kairi would be mad at her.

As Selphie was halfway down the ladder, she looked down towards the bottom bunk, and was surprised to see that it was empty. She continued to climb down the ladder until her feet were on the carpet. Selphie turned away from the bunk beds, looking down sadly. She assumed that Kairi was indeed angry with her, so had decided to go straight downstairs when she had woken up, too angry to wait for her.

Noticing the tray which her mother had brought up sitting on the floor, carrying the empty tea cups and plate of cookies, Selphie reached towards it to pick it up. She stood up straight and walked over to the wooden desk to place the tray down onto it. She walked towards the cupboard on the right wall, intending to look for a pair of slippers.

As soon as Selphie opened the cupboard door, she looked towards the bottom of it, frowning. The first thing she noticed was the pillow she and her mother had bought for Sora. She took hold of it and pulled it out. After taking one look at it, she placed it back inside, turning away from it. She had thought she had found a wonderful present for her friend who she thought would love it, but instead, it had caused both her and another friend to be upset.

The handle of the bedroom door was turned. As the door was pushed open, Mrs Tilmitt stuck her head around it. She looked around to see Selphie standing by the cupboard. "You're finally awake, Selphie? Breakfast is ready and Kairi is awake. She didn't seem to feel like waiting until you woke up."

"No, I don't suppose she did," Selphie whispered miserably to herself as soon as her mother closed the bedroom door. She looked down at the floor inside the cupboard, spotting a pair of yellow slippers sitting side by side against the right wall. Bending down to take them out of the cupboard, Selphie dropped them in front of her onto the floor so that she could slip her feet into them.

She closed the cupboard door, then walked towards the bedroom door before pulling it open to walk slowly out of her room and into the hallway. She was too upset to close the door behind her as she walked down the stairs, looking down at her feet.

After coming to the bottom of the stairs, Selphie strode through the lounge, looking up, scared, to find Kairi sitting on the leather couch, already dressed in her clothes, apart from her shoes. A plate of two slices of buttered toast, which had been cut into triangles, was sitting in the fifteen-year old girl's lap. On the light blue carpet, beside her right foot, was a red cup of tea. Kairi was just reaching down to pick up one of the pieces of toast when she noticed Selphie standing beside the door to the hallway. "Morning, Selphie."

"Hey, Kairi," Seplhie replied worriedly, fearing her friend was not glad to see her and wanted to leave the house and quickly as possible.

Mrs Tilmitt walked in from the kitchen. She was holding another plate of two slices of toast (which had also been sliced into triangles) in her left hand and a green cup of freshly poured tea in her right hand. She looked towards her daughter. "Here's your breakfast, Selphie. Sit down."

Assuming Kairi did not want her to be near her, Selphie unhappily sat down in the leather armchair against the front wall. Her shoulders sinking, she looked up at her mother, who had walked towards her, and took the plate of toast and cup of tea from her with both of her hands. Selphie placed the cup down onto the carpet before picking up a piece of toast and taking a small bite out of it. She was not in the mood for eating.

Kairi finished off the piece of toast she was eating before picking up another one off of her plate. She took a bite out of it and swallowed before beaming towards Mrs Tilmitt. "Thank you for making me breakfast."

"You're welcome, Kairi." Mrs Tilmitt turned away from Selphie to grin at Kairi. "I've heard Sora s been taking you out, all this fortnight."

"That's right. Sora has been so wonderful, treating me very nicely." Kairi nodded towards Selphie. "I take it Selphie told you about that."

"She has. She also told me about how she has wanted to know where Sora has been taking you, each and everyday."

Kairi giggled softly. "I told Selphie about all my trips with Sora."

"Well then, that means I'd better do something." Smiling, Mrs Tilmitt disappeared into the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

Kairi stared at the kitchen door in silence for a few seconds, then reached down to pick up her cup of tea. She took a slip out of it and placed it back down onto the carpet before taking a second bite of the piece of toast she was holding, not noticing Selphie stare at her in sadness. The fourteen-year old thought that she was aware she was watching, but was choosing not to say a word to her, having a lot of hate towards her.

Mrs Tilmitt could be heard mumbling behind the kitchen door. Kairi glanced up towards the kitchen door, surprised by the sudden sound, but proceeded to eat her toast and drink her tea. Selphie was too upset to hear the mumbling. She looked down at the toast on her plate, which was going cold while her sadness grew.

The mumbling behind the kitchen door came to a stop. Mrs Tilmitt walked back into the lounge, holding a black, cordless telephone receiver in her hand. She turned to Kairi, smiling. "Kairi, Sora is on the phone, and he wants to speak to you."

Kairi looked up at Mrs Tilmitt, her face brightening up in delight. "Really?"

Mrs Tilmitt nodded, holding the receiver for Kairi to take. "You'd better take the call."

Grinning widely, Kairi took the receiver from Mrs Tilmitt before quickly holding it to her right ear. "Hello? Sora?"

"Hey, Kairi," Sora's voice replied, filled with happiness. "Over at Selphie's, are you?"

"Yes, I am, Sora. I am also very happy to hear from you."

"Well, I'll be coming to see you in a few minutes."

Kairi leaned back against the couch, the grin on her face still wide. "Have you got another surprise planned for me, Sora?"

"Well, I did say I would spend all of this fortnight with you, but it's not exactly a surprise, today. In fact, it's something I usually hate."

Kairi chuckled, not understanding. "Then why are we doing something you hate?"

"I might enjoy it, today. What we are doing is shopping. Mom told me that we have to do it, and before I could ask, she suggested for me to invite you to come."

"Of course I'll come, Sora," Kairi giggled. "I'm sure the two of us will have a great time."

"I know we will," Sora replied, laughing softly. "Besides, I did promise you that would spend this fortnight with you. So you're gonna have to come. Mom and I will drive to Selphie's house at eleven to pick you up."

"Oh, I'd better go to my house to pick up some Munny. You can pick me up from there."

Hearing what Kairi said, Selphie assumed that Kairi was very desperate to leave her house, not wanting to be friends with her anymore. She wondered if she would even be allowed to help Kairi with what she had asked her to do.

"Oh, you don't have to bring any Munny, Kairi," Sora remarked. "You don't have to spend any Munny at all. Mom and I will bring plenty-"

"No, Sora," Kairi interrupted, knowing she was going to bring some Munny to the shopping trip, whether Sora wanted her to or not. "I need to bring some Munny, because I need to buy something."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Sorry, Sora, but I can't talk right now." Kairi felt a little nervous, due to the question he had asked, as she was unable to tell him. "My breakfast is going cold, and I gotta be ready for when you come to take me to the town."

"Very well, Kairi," Sora chuckled softly. "We'll see you at eleven."

Kairi sighed with relief and smiled happily. "See you, Sora."

Pulling the receiver away from her ear, Kairi pressed the red button on the top row of buttons, cutting off the line. She handed the receiver to Mrs Tilmitt, who was smiling down at her. "Sora is taking you out to go shopping, is he?"

"Yeah, and I think he's only excited about going, because I'm going with him," Kairi laughed softly before looking up at Mrs Tilmitt with slight worry in her eyes. "You don't mind if I leave before eleven, do you?"

"Of course I don't," Mrs Tilmitt grinned. "You need to get some Munny, don't you?"

Kairi nodded with a smile. "Yes, to buy something important."

Mrs Tilmitt nodded back before returning to the kitchen. Kairi took a small bite out of the piece of toast she was eating. The toast had gone cold, but she did not notice, as she was thinking about her shopping trip with Sora. She also did not notice how upset Selphie was looking, as she was certain Kairi now hated her, due to the fact she had said very little to her and wanted to leave the house.

* * *

At ten to eleven, Kairi was sitting down on the bottom stair of the hallway staircase, tying the laces of her shoes, which were now on her feet. Her rucksack was on the carpet, next to her left foot. She had made sure to pack everything she had brought before getting ready to leave.

Mrs Tilmitt walked into the hallway, and was surprised to find that Selphie was not there. "Selphie! Where are you?"

"I'm in my room!" Selphie's voice called back from behind her bedroom door.

"Well, aren't you going to come down and say 'goodbye' to Kairi."

No response came from behind the door that led to the fourteen-year old's bedroom. Selphie was sitting sadly on the bottom bunk, now wearing in her yellow dress and brown sandals. She was looking down at the floor, believing Kairi would not want to say anything at all to her.

"Or better yet," Mrs Tilmitt called towards her daughter's bedroom door. "Why don't you walk her home?"

Selphie's ears perked up. She began to silently panic. She did not know how to reject her mother's order, as she knew she would be suspicious. She did not, however, think Kairi would be able to stand walking with her.

"Only if you want to, Selphie!" Kairi could be heard shouting from the bottom of the stairs.

Surprised, Selphie slowly stood up. She stepped towards the door before opening it with caution. As she stuck her head out of the room, she looked towards the bottom of the stairs to see Kairi smiling up at her. The smile quickly changed to a crinkled mouth, as Kairi did not realize why Selphie was behaving so strangely.

"Um, okay, Kairi." Selphie decided she would go with Kairi to find out if she really was angry with her. Her heart was racing, for she was still unsure if her friendship with Kairi was still going.

"Well, come on down," Kairi giggled. "You don't wanna make me late for Sora."

Selphie pulled her door open wider, stepping out of the room. She put her right foot forward and onto the carpet. Stepping out of the room, she walked worriedly down the stairs, looking down at Kairi, who was looking back up at her, even more confused.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Selphie quickly looked away from Kairi. "Are you ready to go, Kairi?"

"Yes, I am!" Kairi jumped to her feet. She picked up her backpack and put her arms through the straps so that it was on her back, hanging from her shoulders. "I can't wait to see Sora! It'll be so much fun! I can't wait to buy what I need!"

"Well, have fun, dear," Mrs Tilmitt smiled, knowing that Kairi would enjoy herself.

"I will, Mrs Tilmitt! Thank you for having me over!" Grinning happily, Kairi turned to Selphie. "Let's go, Selphie!"

Nodding, Selphie turned to the door, then looked down sadly as she took hold of the handle. She did not know Kairi was watching her with surprise as she opened the door.

Kairi sprinted past Selphie through the doorway. She looked over her shoulder as she ran along the garden path. Raising her right hand, she waved to Mrs Tilmitt, stopping as soon as she had walked through the gateway, having pulled open the gate with her left hand. "Bye, Mrs Tilmitt."

"Bye, Kairi," Mrs Tilmitt called back, waving to the fifteen-year old girl with a smile. As she was watching Kairi, she notice dher daughter walking along the garden path with her head hanging low.

Kairi held the gate open for Selphie. She was still confused as to why her friend was behaving the opposite of how she usually behaved as she watched the fourteen-year old walk out the gateway and begin to walk up the sidewalk without waiting for her.

Letting the gate swing shut, Kairi walked quickly after Selphie, her puzzlement growing. She did not know what was troubling Selphie, but she thought she would be able to cheer her up with some conversation. "So, Selphie, are you defiantly going to join in what we're all going to do?"

Surprised at the sound of Kairi talking to her in a friendly manner, Selphie looked over her shoulder at her friend while continuing to walk. She had assumed that Kairi would not want her to join in what they had discussed, even though it was all for Sora.

"Well?" Kairi asked hopefully.

"Um…yeah, I am."

"Great! I'm glad you are!" Kairi grinned excitedly, walking quicker so that she was walking alongside Selphie instead of behind her. "And don't forget your present!"

"My…present?" Selphie turned to Kairi, her jaw dropping. "Do you mean…the pillow?"

"I do, Selphie," Kairi replied as they reached the end of the street. They crossed the road and began to walk away from the street where Selphie lived. They strolled past the rows of streets, heading for the one were Kairi lived.

Selphie could not understand why Kairi was encouraging Selphie to bring her gift to Sora, which had caused so much hurt. "You want me to give Sora the pillow?"

"Of course. It's not my present, is it? It's Sora's. I bet he'd like the present."

"But, Kairi…" Selphie stopped in her tracks, looking at Kairi in puzzlement. "I…I upset you with the pillow. I thought you hated it." She let off a sad sigh, looking down at her feet. "And I thought you hated me as well."

Kairi stood where she was, smiling softly at the fourteen-year old. She shook her head. "I'm not mad at you, Selphie. You're my friend."

Selphie looked up, her eyes widening and her hopes rising. She could not believe Kairi was not mad at her. She had led herself to believe that their friendship was over, and Kairi saying she was her friend surprised her. "I am?"

Kairi nodded, leading the way as they proceeded to pass the rows of streets. "I don't know what I would do without a friend like you. You really know how to make me feel better when I'm upset or worried over Sora. I'm not going to let our friendship end because of a pillow, which you bought with good intentions. You wanted to give Sora a gift for his birthday."

Unable to say anything, Selphie just smiled widely and happily as she followed Kairi, who was now turning into the street where she lived. She walked behind her friend in silence, overjoyed that their friendship was not over.

Kairi walked down the sidewalk, looking ahead of herself, until she stopped outside the gateway of her house. She turned to Selphie with a soft smile. "So, you defiantly will be able to do what I told you about?"

"I sure will, Kairi!" Selphie grinned happily up at her friend. Her sadness had now faded away.

"I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for having me stay at your house, last night, instead of being all by myself."

"It's okay, Kairi. Have another fun day with Sora, today."

"Alright, Selphie." Walking through the gateway, Kairi looked over her shoulder to her friend. She waved to Selphie as she walked up the garden path, feeling very happy. "Bye now."

"Bye, Kairi."

As Selphie waved cheerfully to her, Kairi stopped on the doorstep of her house. Reaching into the pouch on her belt, she pulled out the key to her house. Placing it into the lock, she turned it anti-clockwise, unlocking the door. She pulled the key out of the lock and stepped into the house.

Selphie was still standing in front of the gateway. She grinned widely when she saw Kairi turn to wave happily to her. She waved back unstoppably until Kairi finally closed the front door.

"Hey, Selphie!"

Hearing a voice coming from further down the street and recognising it, Selphie turned to her right to see Sora standing in his front garden, waving to her. Her grin widening, as she was happy to see him, she waved back to him.

"Is Kairi with you?" Sora called loudly, trying to get his voice across to Selphie, even though she was standing a few houses away.

"She's just gone inside her house!" Selphie yelled back, her voice not as loud as Sora's. "She's really looking forward to going shopping with you!"

Sora grinned. "I'll be over at her house in a few minutes to pick her up!"

Grinning back, Selphie gave another wave towards Sora before turning around to walk out of the street. She was feeling very relieved and cheerful that her friendship with Kairi had not ended, and she was looking forward to doing what she had told her to do for Sora.

* * *

Kairi kicked the door to her bedroom open as she walked inside, taking her backpack off her shoulders. Placing the bag down onto the purple carpet, she approached the cupboard and pulled the door open. She kneeled down and spotted what she was looking for, lying on the bottom of the cupboard. She took hold of it and held it up in front of her. It was a pink, leather purse.

Pulling on the zip that went across the top of the purse, Kairi looked inside, seeing that it was filled with plenty of Munny. She smiled softly to herself. She knew that Sora, being so kind, would try to insist on buying things for her, as would Nikkou. She would refuse to let them, as she needed to buy something which she wanted to spend her own Munny on.

Closing up the purse, Kairi sat down on her bed. She placed the purse beside her before opening up her pouch to take out her camera. She pushed the switch to turn it on, checking to make sure there was plenty of life in its rechargeable battery. When the screen lit up, showing her room, she pressed the button to go to her saved pictures. She smiled to herself, seeing the picture of Sora standing in front of the Gummi Ship, all by himself.

A sudden noise from outside the house took Kairi by surprise. She recognised it as the horn of Nikkou's car, and she knew that it was behing blasted to let her know that Sora had come to pick her up. She grabbed the purse with her right hand before shoving it into her pouch, followed by the camera. Quickly, she jumped to her feet before running out through her bedroom door and down the corridor, an excited grin on her face.

As she raced down the stairs, Kairi could hear the rumbling engine of the car coming from outside her front door. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she quickly grabbed the door handle and pulled open the door, receiving a surprise when she saw Sora standing on her doorstep, grinning softly at her. "Hey, Kairi. You ready to go?"

"Yes, Sora, I am." Kairi took a small jump forward so that she was standing on the doorstep before pulling Sora into a hug, smiling softly as she closed her eyes. "Thank you for taking me out shopping with you."

Sora chuckled as he hugged the girl back. "We haven't got there yet. We'd better jump in the car. Mom's waiting for us."

Kairi pulled away from Sora to look towards the car, which had stopped by her house. She could see Nikkou sitting in the driver's seat, waving cheerily towards her. Kairi smiled and raised her right hand to give a small wave back. She turned to face the front door and pulled it shut before locking it with her keys, which she had taken out of her pouch. As she turned around to face the gateway, she felt Sora take her left hand in his right one, which she gently squeezed as she let him lead her along the garden path and to the car.

As she placed her keys into her pouch, Kairi let go of Sora's hand as she walked around to the door on the car that led to the rear passenger seat on the left. She pulled it open before sitting in the seat, pulling the door shut. "Hello, Nikkou."

"Hello, Kairi." Nikkou looked over her shoulder to smile at the girl. "Did you enjoy yourself at Selphie's, last night?"

"Yes, and I know I'm going to enjoy shopping with you and Sora. Thanks for letting me come with you."

Kairi smiled back at Nikkou before turning to her right, having heared the door to the rear seat on the right open. She grinned to see Sora sit in the seat, closing the door behind him before putting on his seatbelt. Kairi turned back to Nikkou as she took hold of her seatbelt to put it on. "I've brought some Munny with me."

"It's okay, Kairi, you don't need to spend any Munny," Nikkou replied. "If you want to buy something, just tell us, and we'll-"

"No, it's fine. I _want _to spend some Munny." Kairi tapped gently on her pouch, smiling. "There's something I really need to get, which I need to spend my own Munny on."

Nikkou smiled at Kairi, believe she knew what it was Kairi was planning to buy. Sora gazed at the girl, looking very confused, as he had no idea.

"Well then, let's get going," Nikkou announced, turning to face the road ahead of her. She pressed her left foot down on the gas pedal, which caused the car's engine to roar louder.

Sora and Kairi turned to look ahead, both sharing wide, happy grins. They knew they were going to enjoy their day of shopping, together. It would be the most fun shopping trip they would ever go on.

Bringing up her left foot, which was on the clutch, Nikkou took hold of the handbrake with her left hand. She used her thumb to press down on the button on the end, then she gently let the handle down. As the car started to move forward, she brought the gas pedal up and pressed down on the clutch before using the gearstick beside her to switch the car into second gear. Reaching up with her left hand, she hit the indicator to signal left as the car approached the T junction. She could see there was no other traffic coming from either way, so she joined her left hand with her right hand on the steering wheel to steer the car to the left before driving away from the street, making their way towards the town.

* * *

**This was a long chapter, wasn't it? I'm going to have to try making my chapters longer, because I started writing this story in April, last year. It's now 2011, this is chapter thirty-five and I'm only on the fifth day of the fortnight. I hope I won't still be writing this story in 2012. I enjoy writing it, but I hope to get it finished, this year. Although I did say I wanted this story to be long, I don't want it to be too long, either.**


	36. Hearts & Kisses

**Another long wait for an update. Sorry about that. **

* * *

As Nikkou drove the car towards the town, Sora, sitting in the back seat, turned to Kairi and grinned at her. "Did you enjoy yourself at Selphie's?"

"I did, Sora. I was very grateful that she let me stay at hers, because after you left, I thought I was going to be all alone throughout the night."

His grin fading, Sora looked down, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry I left you, Kairi. I didn't want to. I wanted you to come to my house, but-"

"It's okay, Sora." Kairi interrupted, smiling softly. She knew Sora had wanted her to go to his house, and did not want him to feel bad. "You had to go to your aunt's house. That's perfectly fine. I knew that today, the two of us would still get to spend time, together, along with the rest of the fortnight."

Sadness grew inside Kairi, but she held her smile, knowing that the reason Sora had needed to visit his aunt was because of his cancer. She wondered how the boy's aunt had reacted to the news. "How…was your trip to your aunt's? Did she-"

"She knew I had…" Sora's voice trailed off, as he was unable to bring himself to say 'cancer', as it made him feel sad, and he knew it would upset Kairi, which he did not want to do. "She was very unhappy when she first saw me, last night. She couldn't stop crying, and I hated to see her do that. But still, I did manage to somehow enjoy going to see her, and she was glad that Mom and I came over. We were able to cherish the visit."

Kairi tried to stop the tears that were in her eyes from coming out as she continued to smile at the boy. "I'm really glad that you enjoyed going to see your aunt, even if she was crying over what you're going through."

Sora looked up at the girl, noticing the tears in her eyes. He could tell she was trying not to cry. It was due to him that the girl was going through the same heartbreaking time his aunt was going through, as well as his mother and his friends on the island. "Maybe it would have been nicer if you had come as well, Kairi."

"Oh, no, I would not have been able to come. That visit to your aunt's was not about me. You and I may be best friends, Sora, but your family are also affected by what you have been diagnosed with. That visit was for your family; you, your mom and your aunt. Besides, I may not have met your aunt, but if I had been there, last night, I don't think I would have been able to bear to see her cry."

Sora looked away, knowing Kairi was defiantly upset. It was supposed to be yet another enjoyable day for the two of them, and even if he did have cancer, which he could not stop from making her feel distraught, he was not going to spend the entire day watching Kairi feel sad. He was going to make sure she enjoyed the day.

He looked at his mother, who could not see him, as she was sitting in the seat that was right in front of him. "Mom, what are we going to buy? You didn't tell me."

"I'll be telling Kairi," Nikkou replied, looking out through the windshield as she drove the car along the road, passing some rows of houses that were on each side.

"Telling Kairi?" Sora was surprised by what he heard. "Aren't you gonna be telling me?"

"No, I am not. I can tell Kairi, but not you, I'm afraid."

Confused, Sora turned to Kairi, wondering if she knew what his mother was going to tell her what they were going to buy without telling him. The girl was giggling softly to herself. She did not know what Nikkou was going to tell her, but she was very sure that what the boy's mother wanted to buy was very similar to what she wanted. It made her feel better, and she was even more excited about going shopping with Sora.

* * *

Nikkou soon steered the car carefully into a large car park, which was on the edge of the shopping district. The car park had plenty of parking spaces, but the majority of them had already been taken by other cars. Nikkou looked around as she drove slowly, and managed to spot an empty space to the right, in between two other cars. She steered her car to the right and, taking care not to bump the cars on each side, she drove onto the empty space, bringing her vehicle to a stop, parking it very neatly. After bringing up the handbrake and placing the gearstick out of gear, she switched off the engine and removed her keys, placing them inside a black handbag, which was resting on the front passenger seat.

Exchanging excited grins with each other, Sora and Kairi took off their seatbelts before opening the doors to their seats and jumping out of the car. They shut the doors behind them before walking around to the back of the car to stand by each other.

"Which shop would you like to go to first?" Sora excitedly asked Kairi, eager to take her to wherever she wanted to go. He did not mind where she would make him go with her to. The day was for her, even if Nikkou was making them spend it there. Sora was hoping Kairi would still enjoy it.

"Hang on. Wait for your mother," Kairi replied, looking towards the car. "She said she's going to tell me what we are going to buy, although she said that you can't know."

Sora frowned and turned towards the car, noticing that Nikkou was now standing outside of it, locking the doors with her keys. She walked towards the children and looked at her son. "Sora, I want you to stand on the edge of the car park, please."

"Why?" Sora remarked, his frown deepening. He could not understand why both his mother and Kairi were being so secretive. "Why are we all going shopping, yet you can't tell me what we are going shopping for, Mom?"

"Don't be upset with your mother," Kairi told Sora, looking slightly sad when she saw his face. She could understand why he was so confused, but she had a feeling she knew what Nikkou was going to tell her.

"That's right, Sora." Nikkou looked sympathetically at her son. "I know you're wondering what I'm keeping from you, but I can't tell you, I'm sorry."

Noticing the expressions on Kairi's and Nikkou's faces, Sora reminded himself of how he had been informed at Twilight Town that whatever Kairi had talked about in private with Hayner, Pence and Olette, he was going to eventually find out. He felt sure that whatever his mother and Kairi were going to buy, he was also going to eventually find out.

Sora smiled apologetically at Kairi and Nikkou. "I'm sorry if I sounded grumpy."

"It's okay, Sora," Kairi smiled back, raising her arm to point at the edge of the car park. She let off a giggle. "Now go on over there, please, so that your mother and I can talk in private without you listening!"

Chuckling, Sora turned towards where Kairi was pointing. He began to walk along the tarmac-covered car park, passing the many rows of parked cars. As he walked, he looked over his shoulder and smiled at Kairi, who was watching him to make sure he walked as far as she had pointed.

Sora reached the sidewalk that was on the edge of the car park. He stepped onto it and looked towards a small pathway that had a black fence running along each side of it. The pathway led away from the car park and into the shopping district. A few people carrying shopping bags were walking along it towards the car park, having just finished their shopping.

Looking over his shoulder, Sora immediately spotted Kairi standing with Nikkou amongst the many cars that were parked in the car park. He could see Kairi was still looking in his direction, but could not see the expression on her face. He squinted, noticing her turn towards his mother. Letting off a sigh, he took a few steps back, unable to hear a word of what they were talking about. He hoped he would be able to find out what they were keeping from him.

After a few minutes of waiting, Sora saw Kairi and Nikkou turn towards where he was standing and walk towards him. He guessed they must have finished talking about what they needed to. He hoped his mother would not drag them around where she needed to go, as he did not think Kairi would enjoy it very much.

Nikkou and Kairi rejoined him, giving him small smiles. They were glad that Sora had been unable to hear what they had been talking about. They walked along the pathway with Sora following beside them, wondering what they had discussed.

The three of them stopped on the end of the pathway, finding themselves standing on a sidewalk that was in the middle of a long street, which happened to be part of the shopping district. A busy road ran through the street with many cars travelling up and down. On each side of the road was a row of different kinds of shops. The whole street was active, as many people were walking along the sidewalks on both sides of the road. It was going to be a busy day for the employees at all of the shops in the district, as there were hundreds of people in the town, wanting to buy the goods they sold.

Nikkou turned to the two teenagers. "I'm going up to the supermarket to buy what I need. You two can go off and buy whatever you want. I'll meet you by the newsagents later."

"Alright, Mom," Sora replied with a grin. He raised his right hand to wave to his mother.

Kairi smiled softly as she also waved to Nikkou. "Thanks for bringing me over here, Nikkou."

"It's alright, Kairi," Nikkou smiled back, waving to the teenagers as she started to walk away from them, heading up the street. "Enjoy yourselves."

Sora and Kairi continued to wave to the fifteen-year old boy's mother, watching her until she disappeared into the crowd of people that were bustling about. Sora stopped waving and lowered his right hand to take hold of Kairi's left one. He turned to her, grinning. "Which shops would you like to go to?"

Kairi smiled up at Sora, blushing softly, and gently squeezed his hand. "I don't mind where we go to, Sora."

Sora looked down towards the lower part of the street. He pointed with his left hand. "Let's go down the street. If we see any shops we feel like going into, we'll go in them."

"Alright then, Sora," Kairi agreed, grinning up at the boy and nodding her head.

Sora began to walk slowly towards the lower part of the street. Kairi followed him, her hand still in his. She tried to think about which shops she wanted to go into, but the only ones she could think of were ones that sold what she wanted to buy – without Sora seeing.

Kairi looked from left to right, glancing at the different shops. She could not think of anything else she wanted to buy, even though Sora was being kind enough to offer to buy things for her. There was not anything in the shops they were passing that was selling anything she wanted.

They came to the bottom to the street, where the road and sidewalks rounded a corner to lead into another part of the district. Kairi followed Sora as he held her along the curve in the sidewalk. She looked down at her feet as they walked a few paces. As she lifted her head, the girl looked to her left – and let out a squeal. "Sora! Look at this shop!"

Surprised by the sudden remark from Kairi, Sora looked to his left. He was equally amazed by what he saw.

They were standing next to a tall building, which, for many months, had been abandoned and looking like it was ready to crumble. It now looked as good as new. The old, white stone walls had been replaced with strong brickwork, and the wooden double doors which had been ripped off their hinges were replaced by metal frames with glass inside, allowing the teenagers to see that the inside walls were painted a mixture of bright red and light pink.

Above the double doors was a sign, which displayed, in large, yellow capital letters, the words, 'HEARTS & KISSES'. On the left side of the words was a red heart, while on the right was a pink letter 'X', which the two teenagers knew symbolized a kiss.

Kairi gazed at the store with wide eyes before turning to Sora. "I've never seen this shop. Have you?"

"No, I haven't. The last time I saw this building, it was still in an abandoned state. Somebody must have bought it and decided to make use of it."

Kairi took a glance at the building, thinking it would be very good to see what sort of items were on sale. She looked up at Sora and blushed softly. "I'd like us...to have a look in there, please."

Sora's eyes widened slightly. He looked down at the girl in disbelief, wondering why she would want the two of them to go into the nearby shop. "You wanna go in there?"

Giving a nod, Kairi blushed harder. She was feeling a bit worried over what Sora was thinking, as he was sure to be curious as to why she would want them to go into the shop that they were standing near. She looked down at her feet. "We don't have to…if you don't want to."

With a grin, Sora gently squeezed the girl's hand to make her look up at him. "This is your day, Kairi. We shall go in if you want to."

Kairi looked up, amazed, but relieved to hear that Sora was happy for them to go into the shop. She did not realize the moment he had seen it, he had wanted the two of them to go inside.

Sora pulled Kairi towards the double doors, pushing the left one open and leading the girl into the building. As they stood on the spot, letting the door swing shut behind them, they looked around, noticing that there was a lot of space inside the shop. The woollen carpet was a dark purple, and in front of them, on the other end of the building, was a counter. Hanging on the wall behind the counter, next to an open doorway, was a painting of two hearts, held inside a gold-coloured frame. Shelves were running along the left and right walls, carrying the products on sale, which were greetings cards, perfume, boxes of chocolates, ornaments, paintings and picture frames.

Letting go of Sora's hand, Kairi walked to the nearest shelves that were on the left wall. She looked at the little ornaments that were on display, carved out of stone. Most of them were made to look like a man in a black tuxedo and a woman in a yellow dress. One of the ornaments was carved to make the man and woman hugging each other, while another was made to look like they were dancing, hand in hand.

Sora walked to the right wall. The nearest shelves displayed boxes of chocolates. He picked one and sniffed it. A smile crept upon his face in response to the sweet smell of chocolate.

Kairi left the shelves that displayed the ornaments that were on sale and walked to the next lot of shelves on the left wall. Displayed on them were bottles of perfume that she had never seen before. She picked up a small bottle that was made of pink glass and shaped like a cuboid. The nozzle had no top of it, so Kairi held the bottle to her nose and sniffed. The smell was very sweet.

"It's a nice shop, isn't it, Kairi?" Sora exclaimed, putting down the box of chocolates and walking across the room to look at the ornaments.

"It is, Sora," Kairi agreed, turning to the boy and nodding. "I wonder how long it has been running for."

"Oh, only for a few weeks. But during that time, the business has been going well for me."

The two teenagers were surprised at the sudden sound of a female voice, which was coming from the end of the room. They looked towards the counter to find that a young woman with long, brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a green sweater, purple skirt and red shoes, was now standing behind it. On her sweater was a nametag, which displayed her name, 'Kisu', in black letters. She was looking from Sora to Kairi, smiling at them both.

Sora smiled back at the woman as he walked up to the counter. "Is this your place?"

Kisu nodded. "I noticed it was a very ugly-looking sight; just an abandoned building that looked ready to collapse. So I managed to buy it and get it fixed before turning it into a store to run my own business, which, as you both have probably realized by now, is a shop to sell little gifts for people to give to the one they love."

"Do you make a lot of sales?" Sora asked, thinking that many people in love, as well as himself, would want to buy goods from the shop he was standing in.

"Defiantly. Everyday, I get a lot of customers," explained Kisu proudly. "When people come here, they always buy something for the special person they are in love with, like the boxes of chocolates and the bottles of perfume."

While Sora chatted with Kisu, as he wanted to learn about how well her business was doing, Kairi had come across the shelf that was carrying the picture frames. Hanging above the shelf, on the wall, were the paintings that were for sale, which showed lots of landscapes. Kairi looked down at the shelf, noticing that some of the picture frames were square-shaped. However, she spotted a gold-coloured one that was shaped like a heart. She picked it up in both of her hands and held it in front of her, amazed by the sight of it. She glanced at Sora, then returned the picture to the spot it was sitting on the shelf.

"Is there anything you'd like to buy?" Kisu asked curiously, still smiling at the two teenagers.

Sora stood where he was while looking around the shop, taking note of the stock that was on sale. He wanted to buy something for Kairi, as he knew he would find something she was like. The fact that the items on sale were to go to someone the customers loved stopped him, to his disappointment, as he knew Kairi would suspect something, and then he would have to tell her he loved her. Sora sighed disappointedly, knowing he was unable to tell Kairi how he felt.

Turning back to Kisu, Sora shook his head. "No. I'm sorry if I've wasted your time, but there isn't anything."

"It's okay." Kisu remained smiling, understanding." Don't forget to come back if you think of something."

Sora smiled back, feeling a little embarrassed. He did not notice Kairi standing by the shelves that held the picture frames, grinning softly at him.

"Thanks for telling me about your business," Sora said to Kisu, taking a few steps backwards and offering his hand to Kairi, letting her take it in hers.

"You're welcome." Kisu raised her right hand to wave to the teenagers. "Hope you like it here."

Both nodding their heads, Sora and Kairi raised their free hands to wave back to Kisu. Turning away, they walked towards the double doors, disappearing out through them, and began to head down the street. Sora looked ahead as he walked, not noticing Kairi look over her shoulders towards the store they had just walked out of as she followed him.

* * *

**One of my problems was thinking of what sort of shop Sora and Kairi could go into. Then I came up with this idea: a shop which sells cute gifts to give to the one you love on special occasions. I know I'm gonna face some similar problems with future chapters, but I'm sure I'll get around them. :P**

**Also, a small reminder; don't forget to keep checking my profile every now and then for news and updates on when new chapters have been posted or are in the process of being written. ;)**


	37. Birthday Purchases

**Here's the newest chapter – which is quite a long one. Hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

Sora and Kairi were later standing outside a newsagent's store on the edge of a busy street on the edge of the town. They were waiting for Nikkou to arrive, as she had told them to meet her there. They had not actually gone inside the newsagent's, but had needed to move out of the way many people who were walking in and out of the small building. Bright blue plaster and the shop's name – 'Tsuki's' – in red letters was above the shop's door and its large window, through which shoppers could be seen inside, purchasing magazines and candy.

The street had plenty of other shops as well as the newsagent's. Some of the many people that walked along the street were going through the doorways of the various retail buildings while others were leaving them and either heading for another shop that was nearby or making their way out of the street. Sora stood where he was, looking amongst the crowd. He was trying to find his mother, and he was sure as soon as she would arrive, she would take him and Kairi straight back to the car to drive them home. He did not know that Kairi intended to do her own bit of shopping once Nikkou would arrive.

Amongst the crowds of people that walked around the street, Nikkou came into view. She was carrying bags full of shopping; each one with their handles tied together into knots. Sora and Kairi could not see what the bags contained when they spotted the woman walking towards them, although Kairi knew exactly what Nikkou had bought.

Nikkou stopped in front of the two teenagers, smiling at them. "Hey, you two. Have you enjoyed looking around the shops?"

"Yeah, we have, Mom," Sora replied. "We didn't actually buy anything, though. I couldn't find anything I wanted, and Kairi didn't want me to buy anything."

"No, but there is something I do want to buy, Sora," Kairi said, taking her purse out of her pouch as she took a few steps forward. "And now, I'm going off to buy it."

Sora turned to the girl, his eyes wide with confusion. "What is it you need to buy?"

Kairi did not answer. She turned away from Sora and Nikkou and began to walk quickly down the street. The spiky-haired boy and his mother stood where they were, watching Kairi walk away until she disappeared into the crowds.

Nikkou smiled to herself. She could tell that whatever Kairi was buying, it was to do with what they had planned. She disappeared into the newsagent's to do some extra shopping, leaving Sora outside by himself, feeling very puzzled.

Kairi walked through the crowded street, coming to the end and turning at a corner that led to the left. She entered a smaller street with just as many shops as the one she had left, but very few people were about, so there were no crowds. She spotted the shop that she intended to go into, which was on the right side of the street, and walked towards it.

The shop was a photography store. It was very small, but on the right side of the door was a large window, which showed many different cameras and camcorders on display, price tags placed on them. Many of the cameras and camcorders were brand new and digital, while others looked very old-fashioned with large lenses and flashes. Above the window, in large brass letters, was the name of the shop; 'CAMERAS GALORE'.

Coming up to the shop, Kairi entered the small building through the door. The walls were white with framed pictures of different types of cameras and photographs of landscapes hanging off of them. Racks were standing on the dark green carpet, all holding more cameras and camcorders that were on sale. On the rear of the room stood a counter, in front of a doorway that led to the back room.

As Kairi approached the counter, she saw a piece of paper stuck to the back wall by sticky tape. Words in black letters had been printed on the paper, and Kairi could see that they read, 'Have your photographs developed for five munny'.

Kairi stood in front of the counter. She opened up her pouch and took out her camera. She held it up in front of her and looked at it, smiling to herself. She then lowered her hands and looked towards the doorway in the wall, waiting for someone to come through it and serve her.

A young man walked out through the doorway. He looked about forty with short blond hair, stubble and green eyes. He was dressed in a white shirt with a brown tie, along with black trousers and shoes. He stood in front of the counter and looked down at Kairi. "What can I do for you?"

Kairi placed the camera onto the counter. "I'd like to have the pictures saved on this camera developed, please."

"Sure," the man replied, nodding. He took hold of the camera and picked it up. "It'll take about ten minutes."

"Is it okay if I go to do a bit more shopping and come back, later," Kairi asked, pointing towards the door. "It's just that I'm out here with some other people, and they are waiting for me."

"That's fine," the man smiled, holding up the camera for Kairi to see it. "The pictures will probably be ready when you get back."

"Thanks."

Kairi turned away from the counter, an excited grin on her face. She approached the shop's door and walked out through it. Turning to her right, she proceeded to race quickly out of the street and begin to run across town.

* * *

After her fairly short run, Kairi soon arrived back at Kisu's store, stopping outside of it. With a smile, she quickly glanced at the sign with the words, 'HEARTS & KISSES', in yellow capital letters before entering the shop through the double doors. She could see that Kisu was not standing behind the counter, but knew she would return.

Walking through the shop, Kairi stopped before the counter, turning to the left, where she saw the rack that held the greetings cards on sale standing next to the shelves that held the perfume. She walked towards the rack, looking at the many cards, which all had their envelopes sitting behind them. There were ten rows in the rack, but although there were cards for many different occasions, six rows held birthday cards.

Kairi randomly picked up a card from the fourth row from the top and held it in front of her, examining it. The card was red, and displayed on the front a picture of a cartoon boy and girl walking down a country lane with their arms linked. Above them were the words, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' in bold, yellow capital letters. Thinking the card was very nice, Kairi opened it up. Her face fell when she saw a picture on the inside of the card that showed the same boy and girl on the front of the card sharing a kiss, standing beneath three more words bold, yellow capital letters that read, 'I LOVE YOU'. As much as she wanted to, Kairi knew she could not give Sora a card which had the three words she could not bring herself to say. She placed the card back in its place, unhappily sagging her shoulders.

Looking amongst the cards, Kairi picked up another one randomly, which was in the bottom row, and looked at it. It showed another picture of a cartoon boy and girl simply standing against a blue background with the words, 'Have a Great Birthday' above in small red letters. Kairi opened up the card to find the boy and the girl in a hug and, like the couple on the first card she had picked up, kissing each other on the lips. They were standing underneath words in small, green letters that read, 'I love you'. Sighing, Kairi placed the card back in its place on the rack. She was starting to wonder if all of the cards the shop sold had pictures of couples kissing and the words she could not say to Sora.

It was then that Kairi spotted a card on the second row from the top of the rack which had words in small, yellow letters that read, 'You're My Best Friend'. She took it out of its place and looked at it. Like the other cards she had previously looked at, it had a picture of a cartoon boy and girl, although on this one, the girl was holding out a present to the boy, who was looking very excited and happy. They were looking at each other with wide smiles. Hoping the picture would not be of them kissing, Kairi opened up the card to find a picture of the boy and girl now hugging each other without kissing. The words in red letters that were above them simply read, 'Happy Birthday'.

Kairi smiled, deciding that she had found the best card she was able to give to Sora. She thought the two cards she had previously picked up were nicer, but she could not give Sora a card that would tell him that she loved him.

After picking up the envelope that matched the card she had chosen, Kairi turned around, looking at the shelf on the right wall which she had looked at when she had been to the store earlier; the shelf that held the picture frames, built beneath where the paintings on sale hung. She walked up to it and looked down, seeing the many frames that were on sale. There were still lots of rectangle-shaped ones, but she was not interested in any of them. She spotted the heart-shaped one, glad that it had not been sold after she and Sora had left, and picked it up with her right hand, smiling softly as she looked at it, holding the card and envelope in her left hand.

"Would you like a bag for them?"

Her ears perking up, Kairi looked towards the counter to see Kisu was now standing behind it, smiling at her. The girl approached the counter and placed the picture frame, card and envelope onto it. "Yes, please. I need a bag so that my friend won't see these things."

"It's that boy's birthday, is it? The one you were with?" Kisu asked with a grin, picking up the card. A barcode reader was sitting on a stand next to the cash register. Kisu picked up the barcode reader and ran its lens over the barcode on the back of the card, causing the machine to make a 'bleep' sound as the sensor scanned the barcode.

Kairi nodded, taking her purse out of her pouch. "It's in two days. Only now I'm buying his present. I hope he will like it, as well as the photograph I am going to put in it."

Kisu picked up the picture frame and looked at it. She smiled softly and turned to the girl as she ran the barcode reader over the barcode that had been stuck to the back of the frame. "I'm sure he'll love it. It's a very nice present to give him, and I think the card you picked is very nice, too."

Placing the frame back down on the counter, Kisu pressed a button on the cash register. A small 'bleep' came from it, and she glanced up at the small, black screen that was facing her before turning back to Kairi. "And together, they cost three munny."

Smiling, Kairi unzipped her purse and pulled out three munny orbs that were worth one munny each. She handed them to Kisu, who pressed another button on cash register, which opened up its tray. After placing the munny inside and closing the tray back up, Kisu took a white carrier bag out from under the counter and placed the card, envelope and frame inside it before handing it to Kairi.

"Thank you," Kairi said gratefully, placing the bag down onto the carpet. She zipped her purse up and placed it back inside her pouch. Picking up the carrier bag, she tied the two handles together into a knot so that it was impossible to look inside.

"You're welcome," Kisu replied, smiling. She raised her left hand to wave.

Waving back with her right hand while looking over her shoulder, Kairi walked towards the door of the shop, holding the carrier bag in her left hand. She pushed the door open and stepped outside. She headed away from Kisu's store and started to walk quickly, making her way back to Camera's Galore.

* * *

Kairi soon returned to the photography store. She walked in through the door, spotting the same man as before walking through the doorway and standing behind the counter. He was holding her camera in one hand and a red photograph folder in the other.

He looked up and smiled when he saw Kairi walking towards the counter. "Hello again."

"Hello." Kairi stood in front of the counter and looked up at the man, smiling back. "Are my photographs developed?"

The man nodded and held out the folder and camera towards the girl. "I sure hope they're okay for you."

Placing the carrier bag which contained the card, envelope and frame down onto the floor, Kairi took her camera and the folder from the man. She opened her pouch and placed her camera inside. Holding the folder in her left hand, she opened it with her right – and smiled to see the photograph of her and Sora standing on sunset hill right at the front of the photographs, all of which were lined up neatly inside the folder. Kairi took hold of the photograph at the front and held it up in front of her. It was perfect.

"That'll be five munny, please," the man said to Kairi, pressing a button on the cash register that sat on the counter. The cash tray slid out.

Kairi placed the photograph back inside the folder, which she then placed down onto the counter. She took her purse out of her pouch, unzipped it and pulled out an orb that was worth five munny. She handed it to the man. "Thanks for doing this. The pictures are wonderful."

"You're welcome," the man replied with a grin. "I'm glad you like them."

Kairi grinned back at the man and nodded as she zipped her purse back up and placed it back inside her pouch. She untied the handles of the carrier bag, and once she was able to open it up again, she picked up the folder of photographs and slipped it inside the bag before tying the handles together again. She did not want Sora to find any of the things she had bought before the day when she was going to give them to him.

Picking the bag back up with her right hand, Kairi started to walk towards the door of the shop. As she did, she looked over her shoulder and waved towards the man, smiling at him. "Bye. Thanks again for doing this."

As the man waved back, Kairi pulled the door open and stepped out of the shop, letting the door swing shut behind her. She now had everything she needed, so she turned to her left and began to walk down the street to rejoin Sora and Nikkou.

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Sora, Kairi and Nikkou were returning home from their day of shopping. Kairi was once again sitting in the left passenger seat in the back of Nikkou's car, which was just driving into the street where they lived. She was looking out of the window, and she glanced up at the orange sky above the car before turning to Sora, who was grinning softly at her. Kairi grinned back at him. She had really enjoyed her day of shopping with him. On the seat in between them was the carrier bag which held the picture frame, card and envelope, its handles still tied together. Sora was secretly wondering what was inside the bag, but knew he was not aloud to untie the handles and peek inside.

Nikkou brought the car to a stop outside Kairi's house. She looked back towards the girl, smiling at her. "Here you go, Kairi. We hope you've enjoyed coming out with us."

"I have, thank you, Nikkou," Kairi grinned happily, taking off her seatbelt, looking towards the woman. As she reached out with her right hand to grab her shopping bag by its handle, she looked towards Sora. She took hold of his left hand – taking him by surprise – and smiled softly at him. "Thank you so much for letting me come shopping with you, Sora."

Sora's cheeks turned a small shade of red. He grinned at the girl and squeezed her hands. "I'm very glad you've enjoyed today, Kairi."

Giving Sora a small nod, Kairi opened the passenger door that was right next to her on her left. She grabbed the shopping bag with her right hand and jumped out of the car, standing on the tarmac road, facing her house. Without turning around, she pushed the door shut behind her. She stepped onto the sidewalk, and when she turned around, she giggled to see that Sora was now sitting in the seat she had been seating in and was winding down the window, a wide grin on his face.

Unable to stop laughing, Kairi raised her free hand and waved towards Sora. She was very happy, as she had once again been on a lovely day out with him. "Bye, Sora! Thank you so much for taking me shopping with you!"

"Bye, Kairi!" Sora called cheerfully back to the girl. He began to wave in return to her, the grin never leaving his face.

Kairi waved for a few more seconds, then lowered her hand as the car started to drive away from her. She was still smiling as she watched the car go slowly down the street before turning into the drive of the house where Sora and Nikkou lived.

"Hey, Kairi."

Hearing a male voice call her name, Kairi turned to her right. She saw Tidus, who had called her name, walking along the sidewalk towards her with a smile. He was joined by Wakka, who was also smiling. As always, the sixteen-year old boy was wearing a blue headband around his orange hair, blue wristbands and orange sandals, as well as his cream-coloured tank top with two strings hanging from the front, each one with a green and a yellow bead hanging, along with his yellow pants with grey 'X's with blue tips shaped like arrow ends. Wakka was looking just as pleased to see Kairi as Tidus was.

Kairi smiled at the two boys as they stood in front of her. Tidus grinned widely at her. "Been on another day out with Sora?"

Nodding, Kairi looked towards Sora's house. She could see the car was now parked on the driveway, and Sora and Nikkou were unloading the trunk of the car, which was full of carrier bags. Kairi turned back towards Tidus and Wakka and held up her shopping bag for them to see. "He took me out shopping with him, and I bought him his birthday present."

"That's really nice," Wakka smiled. "It reminds me; we saw Selphie, today, and she told us about the plan you and Nikkou have for Sora's birthday."

A smile appeared on Kairi's face as she hoped Wakka was going to say what she thought. "Are you two gonna join in?"

"We certainly are!" Tidus grinned widely, raising a fist. "It'll defiantly be a great thing to do on Sora's birthday!"

"And I know that he'll like it," Wakka agreed, nodding.

"Thanks, guys. I know this will make this a wonderful birthday for Sora." Kairi raised her free arm and pointed towards her house. "Well, I'd better go inside, write on Sora's card and wrap up his present."

"Alright, Kairi," replied Wakka, as he and Tidus turned away from her to leave the street. "I expect we'll see you in two days."

Kairi waved to the two boys and watched them until they had left the street. When they had finally disappeared from sight, she lowered her arm and turned towards where Sora's house was. She could not see Nikkou, who had disappeared into the house, but she could see Sora carrying the last few carrier bags towards the front door. She stood where she was, then smiled when she saw him turn towards her, put down the bags and wave towards her.

After giving Sora one last wave, Kairi walked towards her front door. She took her key out of her pouch, unlocked the door and entered the house, closing the door behind her.

* * *

At quarter to ten, that night, Kairi was sitting at the desk in her room, dressed in her night gown. The bedroom light was on, which lit up the room, and allowed her to see what she was doing. Resting on her wooden desk was the envelope, which was now sealed with the card inside it. Kairi had just written on the card and placed it inside the envelope, which had Sora's name written on it in her handwriting. Lying next to the envelope was the folder of photographs. One photograph was not inside it with the rest.

In her left hand, Kairi held up the heart-shaped picture frame. She looked at it for a few seconds, then looked to her right to smile at the photograph of her and Sora on Sunset Hill, which was in her right hand. She wondered what Sora would think to see the picture as a developed photograph inside a beautiful picture frame.

Kairi held the photograph above the picture frame, which had a very thin gap running along the top of it to allow photographs to be slipped inside. Gently, she slid the picture through the gap, letting it fit perfectly inside the frame.

Smiling softly at how beautiful she thought the picture looked inside the heart-shaped picture frame, Kairi turned her chair around so that it was facing the bed. Lying on the bed was a roll of shiny red wrapping paper, a pair of scissors and a roll of sticky tape, as well as the teddy bear, which was lying with its head resting on the pillow.

Unrolling some of the wrapping paper with its shiny side down, Kairi carefully placed the picture frame down onto the blank side of the paper before getting to work.

* * *

It took Kairi five minutes to wrap the picture frame up in the wrapping paper. She moved the remaining wrapping paper, sticky tape and scissors onto the desk before picking up the envelope in her right hand. She turned back to the present, which was lying on her bed, wrapped up in the wrapping paper, and picked it up in her left hand. She looked at the envelope, then at the present, smiling happily. Only two more days until Sora could have his present, and she was feeling very excited at the thought of him opening it and finding out what it was.

Kairi placed the present and envelope onto the desk. Running a hand through her red hair, she walked over to the light switch on her wall to turn off the bedroom light. She walked over to her bed, pulled the duvet back, lay down on the mattress and pulled the duvet over herself. Resting her head on the pillow, she hugged the teddy bear and closed her eyes, falling asleep within minutes.

* * *

**In the next chapter, I'm gonna try and have the entire day in one chapter. I might be able to, but chances are I'll have to split it into two. :P**


	38. Musical Years

**Okay, I decided **_**not **_**to put the whole of this day in one chapter. If I had done that, then this chapter would have been either too long, looked rushed or maybe even both. Sorry if the writing standard on this chapter isn't that good. I haven't been in much of a writing mood, but I still decided to try. Hope it isn't too bad.**

* * *

Nikkou walked down the staircase in her house and into the kitchen, the next morning. Within the past hour, she had woken up, eaten her breakfast and got ready for the day. She stood on the spot, feeling a little bit cheerful. Her son's birthday was the next day, and she was looking forward to it just as much as he was. Nikkou always loved to see her son happy, and she hoped that although he would have to go to the hospital in the morning, when they would arrive home, Sora would be very happy for the rest of the day.

The net blinds were covering the kitchen window. Deciding to let some daylight into the room, Nikkou walked over to the window. She took hold of the cord and gently pulled on it, which caused the blinds to slowly move upwards, letting light from the early morning sun into the kitchen. Nikkou pulled until the blinds were all the way up. She let go of the cord and looked out of the window. It was a bright day, which she was glad of. She planned to do another day of shopping, although she did not intend on taking Sora – or Kairi – with her.

Nikkou' ears perked up when he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Knowing it was her son, she turned to the kitchen doorway with a small smile. Sora walked into the kitchen. He had just woken up and was dressed in his usual clothes. He stood beside the table and smiled at his mother. "Hi, Mom."

"Morning, Sora." Nikkou glanced at the table before looking at her son with slightly worried eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to make your breakfast. I will make you-"

"It's alright, Mom. I'll grab myself some."

Still smiling, Sora walked to the kitchen cupboard which was in between the cooker and sink unit. A new fruit bowl was sitting on top of it, full of fresh fruit which Nikkou had bought when she was out shopping, the day before (they had been the only items she had allowed Sora to see when the shopping was being put away). He grabbed a green apple that was sitting amongst the rest of the fruit before walking over to the sink. After turning on the cold water tap, he held the apple under the water that was rushing out of the tap and into the sink, where it raced down the drain. Sora allowed the apple to be soaked by the cold water. He thought apples were good to have for breakfast, and he also knew they would help fight his skin cancer.

Sora sat down at the table as he held the apple to his mouth. He bit into it, then chewed on the piece inside his mouth before swallowing. Even though he was still tired, since he had just woken up, the apple was helping to feel less sleepy. As he took another bite, Nikkou sat in the chair next to him, looking down at him.

After chewing the piece of the apple and swallowing, Sora looked up at his mother with a grin. "Not long until I'm sixteen."

Nikkou shook her head, looking away. "Only one more day to go, Sora. I really hope when tomorrow comes, the day will still be happy for you…even though, the first thing you have to do…is go to the hospital."

Sora smiled softly up at his mother. "I know I will, Mom. My birthdays have always been happy and wonderful. I know that even though I have to go to the hospital, tomorrow, when I come home, things will be happy – because it will be a happy birthday for me."

Turning back to her son, Nikkou had a smile on her face, once again. She loved her son so much, and she wanted him to have the happy birthday he wanted, which she was also sure he would have. She had asked the right person to help her.

"Do we have to do anything, today?" Sora asked, hoping he would not have to and would be allowed to spend his last day of being fifteen-years old with Kairi.

"Well, _I_ do, actually. I have to go out to town to do some shopping again, all day."

"Shopping again?" Sora pulled a face. He did not think Kairi would enjoy going out to the town for a second day in a row and do more shopping.

Nikkou could tell her son did not like the idea of shopping again. She let off a chuckle. "_You _don't have to come. I know you want to spend some time with Kairi, so you can."

"Oh, thanks, Mom." A smile returned to Sora's face. He took another bite out of his apple, and as he chewed on it, a thought ran though his head. He swallowed before deciding to ask Nikkou his question. "Is it okay if I invite her to come over here?"

"Sure, that's fine. Of course, first, you'd better phone her and see if she would like to."

"I'll do that now. I sure hope she would like to."

Sora put his apple down onto the table. He slid his chair back, jumped to his feet and walked into the living room. The apple only had three bite marks, but it was not going to have any more, as Sora was now wide awake and had forgotten all about it as he made his way to the telephone.

* * *

Kairi was just walking down the stairs in her house, having just woken up and gotten dressed. She reached the foot of the stairs and stood on the spot, grinning softly to herself. She was feeling very excited, as she was looking forward to the following day. Thoughts of what she and Nikkou had planned raced though her head. She could not wait for the moment when Sora would find out what they were preparing.

Turning, Kairi walked across the cotton carpet. She was heading for the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Before she could walk through the kitchen doorway, however, she froze as she heard the telephone beginning to ring. Standing where she was, she turned towards it, having an idea who the caller was.

Kairi walked over to the wooden table the phone was resting on before sitting down onto the red couch. She quickly grabbed the receiver and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kairi," Sora's voice cheerfully greeted her.

"Sora!" Kairi cried happily, beaming. "I was sure it would be you!"

A laugh could be heard from Sora. "Well, these past few days, you've been hearing from me. You have to hear from me, today, as well."

Kairi chuckled softly. She was just as happy to hear from Sora as she had been throughout the week. "So what are we gonna do, today?"

"Well, Mom said that she has to go out shopping again, but she said this time, I don't have to go with her. Would you like to come over my house?"

Kairi smiled at the thought of Sora's idea, although she felt a little doubtful. "Would your Mother let me? Would she allow me to go to her house while she's out?"

"Yes, I asked her. She said that it's fine. So would you like to?"

Glad that Nikkou was allowing her to go to her house, Kairi giggled softly. "Just let me have my breakfast, first."

"Oh, alright," Sora replied, laughing. "Enjoy your breakfast, Kairi. Come on over when you're ready."

"Okay, Sora. Thanks for inviting me over to your house," Kairi called into the receiver, smiling. "I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, Kairi."

Pulling the receiver away from her ear, Kairi carefully placed it down onto the handset before jumping to her feet. She was looking forward to going to Sora's house, and was grateful that the boy had invited her while his mother had said she could go there while she was out. Kairi smiled to herself as she walked into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast.

* * *

"Kairi said she will come over, Mom," Sora called towards the kitchen, putting the telephone receiver down onto its handset. "Thanks for saying she can."

Nikkou was sitting in the kitchen, chewing on an apple she had just taken out of the fruit bowl for herself. She swallowed as she looked towards the doorway, smiling. "It's okay, Sora."

Walking away from the telephone, Sora took a few steps across the wooden floor, stopping at the foot of the staircase. He stood where he was for a few minutes, thinking to himself, then he started to run quickly up the stairs, grinning. He had an idea of how he and Kairi could enjoy the day while she was at the house.

* * *

Kairi later walked out of her house, pulling the front door shut behind her. Standing on the doorstep, she spun around and locked the door. She placed the key inside her pouch as she turned around and walked along the path towards the gateway. She knew she was not going to return to the house until the evening. By then, she would have spent another enjoyable day with Sora.

As soon as she had walked through the gateway, Kairi looked to her left towards Sora's house. She could see a familiar figure walking along the sidewalk, passing the fifteen-year old boy's house. The figured spotted her as he walked towards her, raising his hand to wave to her. Kairi waved back with a grin, running towards the figure, who she recognised as Riku.

"Hey, Kairi," the sixteen-year old boy smiled, standing in front of Kairi as soon as she stopped in front of him. "On your way to Sora's, are you?"

"I am, Riku! He invited me, this morning! I know the two of us are gonna have a great time!"

"I heard the two of you were out shopping, yesterday, and you got Sora's birthday present."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Was it Tidus and Wakka who told you?"

"Yeah, I saw them this morning with Selphie, and they told me about your shopping trip." Riku's small smile changed into a wide grin. "And they also told me what you and Nikkou have planned for Sora's birthday."

"Oh, yes, Riku!" Kairi replied quickly. "I haven't had a chance to ask you about it, but you have got to-"

"And I will," Riku interrupted, still grinning at the girl, feeling excited about the following day. "You should know that I would defiantly help."

Kairi thought to herself for a moment, remembering an important task that only she knew about had to be done. She looked at Riku, knowing he would agree to do what she would ask. "Tomorrow, could you do something important that would go towards this plan, please?"

Riku gave a nod, still grinning. "Sure. What would you like me to do?"

* * *

Sora walked into his bedroom, carrying a small cardboard box in both of his hands. He placed it down in front of him as he sat down on the bedroom floor. The box had two flaps which he quickly pulled back. Several CD cases were inside the box, balancing on their spines. They all belonged to Sora, even though the box they were in was always kept in his mother's room. He had thought that Kairi would enjoy listening to some music while she would be at the house.

Raising his left hand, Sora pointed out with his index finger, the tip of which he ran over the names that were on the sides of the CD cases that were facing up. He enjoyed all of the music he kept, but he was unsure if Kairi would enjoy any of it. He hoped he would be able to find a CD with plenty of music she would like.

As he ran his finger and eyes over the names of the CDs, Sora ignored most of them. It seemed as though he did not have any music which he thought Kairi would enjoy just as much as he did. He was just reaching the end of the last row – when he spotted the name of a CD he did not know he still had.

Surprised, Sora took hold of the case, gently pulling it out of the box. He held it up so that the front cover was facing him. The picture on the front cover showed an empty dance floor with two spotlights cast onto it while confetti was floating around. The name of the album was above the picture in gold capital letters; 'MUSICAL YEARS'.

Sora turned the CD over so that he could look at the back cover, which had the names of the instrumental pieces of music that was on the disc printed on it. Sora recognised each and every one of the names. He had owned the CD since he was a toddler. Nikkou had bought it for him, and whenever it was played, Sora would happily dance to all of the musical tracks. There was only one track which he would not dance to, as he had always said he hated it.

Looking at the name of the very track, which was at the bottom of the list of names, Sora smiled to himself. He was sure he would now like the track, and he wondered if Kairi would also enjoy it.

* * *

"Are you sure you'd be able to do that, Riku?" Kairi questioned, hoping her friend would be able to do the task she had given him.

"I'll be able to, Kairi, don't worry," Riku assured her, chuckling at how slightly worried she was. "I'll get it done, then we'll be able to help with the rest."

Kairi grinned softly. She was very happy, as she knew Riku would be able to do what he needed to. She had no reason to worry about the plan going wrong. "Thanks, Riku. It'll be a big help to everyone."

Smiling, Riku nodded towards Sora's house. "You'd better get going to Sora's. I hope the two of you have a great day, today."

"Thanks, Riku. I'm sure we will."

Smiling back, Kairi walked past Riku and continued her way slowly to Sora's house. As she strode along the sidewalk, she looked over her shoulder, waving to the sixteen-year old boy with her right hand. "Bye!"

Riku waved back to the girl, pleased to see she was looking forward to the next day. He watched her walk away until she passed though the gateway of Sora's house. Turning away, he proceeded to walk down the street, coming to the end and leaving it behind.

Kairi stopped in front of the front door of Sora's house. She raised her fist to gently knock the door. She had not stopped smiling after leaving Riku, as she could not wait to see Sora.

The door quickly opened, and Sora stood in the doorway, still holding the old CD in his hand. He grinned softly at the girl, delighted to see her. "Hey, Kairi!"

"Hey, Sora!" Kairi beamed happily at the boy, stepping into the house. "Thanks for inviting me to come over here."

"No problem, Kairi," Sora replied, closing the door behind the girl. He held up the CD for her to see it. "I was thinking; while you're here, today, we could put some music on to listen to. Would you like that?"

Kairi's smile faded as she looked at the CD in confusion. She had never seen it before. She held out both of her hands, silently asking Sora if she could hold it. Sora held it out to her, and she took it from him, turning it over in her hands so she could read the names of the tracks that were listed on the back. She did not recognise of the names. "I've never seen this CD before. What's the music like on it?"

"It's a very old CD," Sora explained, taking a few steps away from the door and standing on the wooden floor. "I haven't listened to it in years, but I used to listen to it a lot when I was little. It contains lots of instrumental tracks. Mom used to play it a lot – and I always used to dance to all of the music, apart from the last track, which I didn't like."

Kairi looked up from the CD to grin at Sora, giggling softly at the thought of him dancing to the tracks. She liked the sound of listening to the CD during the day, and she wondered if she would like the music. She sat down on the wooden floor, still holding onto the CD, to untie her shoes.

"You don't have to take your shoes off, Kairi. I didn't mop the floor, today."

Kairi looked up to see Nikkou walking down the stairs, grinning at her. She quickly stood up, leaving her shoes on. She smiled back at Sora's mother. "Hi, Nikkou. Going out shopping again, today, are you?"

"Yes, I am." Nikkou stood in front of the two fifteen-year olds. A handbag was hanging from her left shoulder, and she was just unzipping it while smiling at Kairi. "But, as Sora has already told you, there's no need for you two to come. So you two can stay here while I'm out."

"Okay," Kairi grinned. "Thanks for letting me come over."

Nikkou grinned back as she walked towards the front door, which Sora had just pulled open for her. She stepped out of the house and walked towards her car, which was parked on the driveway, its front facing the road. She stood beside the vehicle, taking a set of keys out of her handbag. She inserted the largest key into the lock on her car and turned it, unlocking the doors. Pulling open the door to the driver's seat, she turned to the two teenagers, waving to them. "Bye, you two. Have fun, today."

"Bye!" Sora and Kairi called together in unison, waving back to Nikkou with smiles on their faces.

Climbing into the driver's seat of the car, Nikkou pulled the door shut. Sora and Kairi stood in the doorway, hearing the car's engine start. They saw the fumes pouring out of the exhaust on the back. The engine revved up, then the car slowly drove out of the drive and onto the road, turning to its right. The teenagers saw Nikkou sitting in the driver's seat, waving to them as she drove away. They waved back and watched the car drive down the street. They could just see it stop and indicate at the T junction, finally disappearing once it had turned to the left, heading away from the street.

Kairi stepped back as Sora pushed the door shut. As soon as he turned to her, she held out the CD case which she was still holding. He took it from her, smiling at her. "I know you've just had your breakfast, but would you like me to make you an early lunch?"

"Only if it isn't any trouble for you."

"No, it's fine. If we eat now, then later on, we won't be hungry, and we can spend the whole day having fun."

Sora walked past the girl, heading towards the kitchen to make them both some lunch. Kairi smiled softly as she followed him into the other room, deciding that she was going to help him prepare the meal.

**

* * *

**

As I said, sorry if the writing standard of this chapter is bad. Hopefully, it'll be better when I write the next chapter.


	39. Egao & Amai

**Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait for a new chapter. The reason for that is because, following some criticism on my previous chapter, I've been taking the time to do some more research on cancer and make some edits to previous chapters (while trying to study for a course for work). Just to let you know, Sora will be going through surgery in the story, something I decided after doing my research.**

**I'd just like to remind people, however, that I'm afraid I do not take requests on what to put into the story. So please don't make them.**

**With all that out of the way, here's the newest chapter –which could well be, so far, the longest. :P**

* * *

Sora smiled at Kairi as he watched her take a bite out of the last carrot sandwich that was resting on her plate. The two of them were sitting at opposite sides of the table in the kitchen. A plate full of crumbs was in front of Sora. He had just finished off his carrot sandwiches which he and Kairi had prepared together for their lunch. He remained in his seat, waiting for the girl to finish her meal.

Looking up from the sandwich she was holding in her hands, Kairi smiled back at Sora as she chewed. She quickly swallowed down the piece bread and sliced up carrots that were in her mouth before finishing off the remains of the sandwich. Her lunch now finished, she quickly slid back in her chair, jumping to her feet. "Shall we go into the living room to listen to that CD, Sora?"

Nodding in agreement, Sora slid his chair back in his chair before standing up. He picked up the two plates of crumbs and turned to the sink, which he placed them into. The CD was resting on top of the floor cupboard, where the plates, glasses and cutlery were kept. Sora walked over to it and picked up the CD in his right hand, turning it over so that the back cover was facing him. He read over the names of the tracks that were listed. Even though he had not listened to them for years, he could remember what each of the tracks sounded like, including the one which he would always refuse to dance to. He was looking forward to hearing the music from his toddler years again, especially the one which he had hated.

Sora turned to his left to see Kairi standing next to him, smiling softly at him. He smiled back as he walked away from the cupboard and into the living room. He turned towards the staircase and took a few steps towards them before looking over his shoulder at Kairi as she walked into the lounge. "I'm just going to get my CD player, Kairi. Have a seat. I won't be long."

Kairi watched as Sora proceeded to walk quickly up the staircase. She took a few steps across the wooden floor, sitting down on the couch. She liked the sound of listening to music Sora had enjoyed in his toddler years. Despite knowing him since they were both four-years old, Kairi had never known that he enjoyed music when he was very young. She wondered if there was anything else he had enjoyed which she would also like.

The sound of Sora running down the staircase quickly thundered into her ears. Kairi looked back towards the staircase just as Sora reached the foot of it. He turned towards the girl, grinning as he walked across the wooden floor. He was holding up a portable CD player in his left hand whilst still holding the CD in his right hand. The player was round and dark blue. Kairi was able to see the tiny buttons and the volume control wheel that had been installed along the edge of the device. She wondered how loud the speakers were.

Sitting next to Kairi on the couch, Sora held up the CD for her to see. "Ready to listen to the music, Kairi?"

Kairi nodded eagerly, a wide grin of excitement on her face. "Yes, Sora! I can't wait to hear this music!"

Sora placed the player onto the arm of the couch before opening up the thin CD case. He carefully took hold of the disc in his left hand by placing his index finger and thumb on the edges, taking care not to touch the flat sides. He lifted the CD out of the case, which he closed and placed onto the arm of the couch with his right hand. Picking up the CD player, Sora pressed a button on its edge, which caused the lid to pop open. He placed the CD inside the player before closing the lid back up. Kairi watched him as he pressed another button on the player.

Music started to blast from the player almost instantly. Kairi jumped with surprise, as she had not expected the speakers on the small portable player to be so loud. She shared a laugh with Sora over her fright, and as she listened to the sound of guitars being strummed and drums being hit, she nodded her head to the rhythm of the music, grinning widely.

"I remember when I first heard this tune!" Sora yelled loudly, trying to be heard above the music that was blaring out of the player. "Mom had just put the CD on in the kitchen, then I jumped into the room, dancing to this tune! She thought it was very funny! I liked this tune as soon as I started to listen to it!"

Kairi chuckled as she turned to Sora. "I wish I could have seen that!"

Sora was able to hear Kairi yell back to him over the music, but he wondered it was too loud for her. He held up the CD player, placing the tip of his finger over the volume control wheel. "Shall I turn the volume down? Do you want it to be quieter?"

"No, no!" Kairi called back as loud as she could, still laughing. "I love this music! It's really great! It's loud enough for me!"

Chuckling, Sora placed the player down onto the arm of the couch as the music that roared out of its speakers filled up the whole room. He was pleased to hear above the loud music that Kairi was enjoying the first track on the CD. He hoped she would enjoy the other ones that were going to be played.

For the next few minutes, Kairi continued nodding her head to each beat of the track until it started to die down. Thinking Sora had lowered the volume, she looked towards him, seeing that he had not touched the CD player. Kairi realized that another piece of music was about to be played.

As soon as the sound of the first track had completely died down, silence replaced the music in the air. It only lasted for a few seconds, however, as the CD player started to play the next track as loudly as it had played the first one. Kairi listened enthusiastically, immediately enjoying the second track, which had been played on guitars and drums, like the first track on the CD. Having not heard either of the first two tracks before, Kairi could not tell if they had been played by the same band, but she was enjoying the second track as much as the first.

Watching her start to nod her head for a second time, Sora grinned widely. He could tell she was enjoying the music of his toddler years. "I'm glad you like this music, Kairi! I'm enjoying listening to it, too – just as much as I did when I was a toddler!"

Kairi stopped nodding her head. She turned to Sora with a smile. "Is there anything else you really liked when you were a toddler?"

Turning away from Kairi, Sora put a finger to his chin, trying to think and remember, which was difficult, since the music was blasting so loudly around the lounge. As memories went through his mind, a wide grin slowly crept upon his face. "Yes! There was! I'll go get it and show it to you – if I can find it, that is! I think you'd really like it!"

Interested by the sudden excitement and memory of the boy, Kairi watched Sora jump to his feet and walk quickly towards the staircase, which he proceeded to sprint up, the loud noise of the stairs thundering under his feet rising above the music. Kairi, wanting the music to be even louder so she would be able to hear it, looked at the CD player, which was resting on the couch's arm. She picked it up in her right hand and placed her thumb onto the volume wheel, trying to turn it anti-clockwise to increase the volume. The wheel refused to rotate, for the player was in full volume. Realizing the player could not play the music any louder than it already was, Kairi placed it back onto the couch's arm, continuing to listen to the loud music and cheerfully nod her head to the rhythm of the tune.

* * *

The sound of Sora's feet running down the staircase did not reach Kairi's ears until the second track on the disc had ended. Once the noise of the guitars and drums had died down, Kairi listened in silence without looking over her shoulder towards Sora, wondering if he had found what he had been looking for.

As Kairi glanced at the CD player, thinking she would enjoy the third track on the disc as much as the first two she had listened to, Sora walked quickly past her and sat down next to her onto the couch. He had been walking too fast for her to be able to see if he was holding anything in his hands. She turned away from the CD to look at him – and her eyes widened when she saw that he was holding a small action figure of a boy in his hands, which was grinning at her as wide as he was.

Kairi beamed at the sight of the action figure – then she groaned loudly and pressed her hands to her ears as the beating of drums that started the third track on the disc blasted around the house. She no longer wanted the music to be at full volume, as she wanted to ask about the action figure. Quickly, she picked up the CD player in her left hand, placing the tip of her index finger on her right hand onto the volume wheel, which she turned clockwise. The loud music started to fade as the volume level was decreased. Kairi lowered the volume until it was at a level which she would not have to shout over to ask her questions. The sound of drums and guitars was now much quieter.

Placing the CD player back onto its spot on the arm of the couch, Kairi – whilst still listening to the music and enjoying it – reached out with both her hands towards the action figure, wanting to hold it. Sora allowed her to, placing it into her hands, and she held it in front of her, looking at it with a smile. It continued to shoot the same grin up at her. There was a white patch on its left cheek from where the colour of the plastic used to make its fair skin had chipped away. On top of its head, it had been given some short brown hair, made from artificial hair that had been dyed. Its other numerous details to make it look like a living human were its sky blue eyes, along with how it had been made to look like it was wearing a green jersey, blue trousers and brown trainers with white laces.

Kairi gently took hold of the small figure's head in her right hand, holding onto it in her left hand. She found out that the head had the ability to rotate left and right by carefully turning it with her right hand. The figure's arms were at its sides, so she removed her hand from its head and took hold of its right hand between her index finger and thumb, finding out she was able to move the arm by pulling on the hand. The arm was no longer at the figure's side and was now pointing out at her.

"That's Egao," Sora explained knowingly, grinning in response to Kairi's interest with the small figure. "He's the main character of a TV show I used to watch when I was little. It was called _Fun With Egao_."

Kairi looked up from the small figure while still holding onto it. She was still smiling as she looked at Sora, although she felt a little confused. "I don't think I've heard of that show."

"I don't expect you have," Sora replied with a chuckle, shaking his head. "I think it was very rare that you ever sat down in front of a TV when you were a toddler."

Sharing Sora's chuckle, Kairi handed him back the Egao figure, although she continued to smile at it as she watch Sora hold it in his hands. She was very interested in learning about the show Sora had enjoyed in his toddlerhood. "What was _Fun With Eago _about?"

Sora held up the Egao figure for Kairi to see it, making sure it was facing her. "Well, it was about this kid called Egao. He was always smiling and laughing, always on the look out for fun. When action figures of him hit the shop shelves, Mom made sure to get me one, and when I would have to come home after spending a day with you and Riku, I would always play with my Egao figure."

Kairi grinned softly, thinking she would have enjoyed watching _Fun With Egao_ if she had known about it. She wondered why during their toddler years, Sora had never brought the figure over to her house or to the beach. She was sure he would have taught her how to play with it, which would lead the two of them into having a lot of fun.

"Other than Egao, there was only one recurring character in the show," Sora continued. His voice was filled with pride, for he felt very pleased to be telling Kairi everything he knew about a show he had enjoyed in his past. "Mom bought me a figure of her, too – but I wouldn't play with it."

Looking up from the Egao figure, Kairi gave Sora a surprised expression. It did not take long, however, for her to start giggling. "What was that?"

"Because the character was a girl, so I said she was a girl's toy. I _never _played with her – although I think she's still in the box where I shoved her into as soon as Mom gave her to me. I'll have a look, and if she is, I'll show her to you."

Leaving the Egao figure behind, Sora stood up, turning to walk up the staircase. Kairi picked up the figure, holding it in front of her in her right hand. The grin on its face reminded her of the kind, comforting grin Sora would often give her, so she could not help grinning back at it. She was no longer paying much attention to the music, so she did not realize that the third track was just reaching its end.

Kairi heard Sora's feet thunder back down the stairs quicker than she had expected. She looked over her shoulder to see the boy was halfway down the staircase, grinning towards her. She grinned back before looking at his right hand, which he was using to hold up an action figure of a girl, which was the same size as the Egao figure. Kairi liked the look of the figure Sora was holding, instantly wanting to learn about the character it had been made to look like.

Sora reached the foot of the staircase and walked across the wooden floor to rejoin Kairi at the couch. He sat next to her, holding out the figure of the girl towards her to allow her to take hold of it. "This is Amai. She's the other reoccurring character in the show."

Holding out her right hand, Kairi took hold of the Amai figure while still holding the Egao figure in her left hand. She held the figure of the girl in front of her, interested in it. The figure of Amai was made of the same plastic as the Egao figure, but it was in better condition, as there was not one piece of the plastic that had chipped away. As with the Egao figure, on top of the Amai figure's head was some artificial hair, expect it had been dyed to look blonde and was much longer than the hair on the Egao figure. The figure was made to look like it was wearing a small, pink dress with a matching pair of pink shoes. It was looking up at Kairi with painted green eyes and a small smile.

Kairi smiled down at the figure of the girl, wishing she had known it had belonged to Sora when they were toddlers. Even if he had never wanted to play with it, she would have loved for him to show it to her, allowing the two of them to play together with both figures. She glanced at the Egao figure before looking up at Sora. "How come you would never play with her even once?"

"As I said, it was because I thought she was a girl's toy. Not only that, but she was also a bit of an annoying character in the TV show."

"Annoying?" Kairi repeated in disbelief, unable to stop herself from laughing. She looked down at the Amai figure, finding what Sora had told her about the character difficult to believe. "Amai was annoying?"

"Yeah, she was. She was always very fussy and annoying to Egao. Whenever he was trying to have fun, she would often spoil it for him. But the two of them were good friends, so sometimes, they would manage to have fun together."

Taking a quick look from the Amai figure to the Egao figure, Kairi held out her right hand to Sora, allowing him to take the figure of the boy from her. As he took it from her, she held onto the Amai figure, still smiling at it. Kairi thought that Amai seemed like a good character, despite what Sora had explained about her. She could picture herself playing with an Amai figure at the same time as playing with the teddy bear Sora had given to her for her fifth birthday.

Sora looked towards the CD player, hearing the track that was playing beginning to die down. He knew which next track was about to start playing, also remembering how it started off. He looked down at the Egao figure before holding it down in his hand with its feet on the couch. Kairi looked down at the small figure, waiting to see what Sora was going to do.

The moment the loud sound of jazz keyboard music began to erupt from the CD player, starting of the tune of the next track on the disc, Sora began to move his hand which was holding the Egao figure about to the rhythm of the music. He moved his hand left and right, keeping the figure's feet on the couch. Upon hearing a giggle from Kairi, he glanced up at her as he continued to move the little figure in a pattern that made it look like it was dancing.

Thinking it was funny to see Egao 'dance' to the music, Kairi quickly looked at the Amai figure. She gave a giggle as she held the figure of the girl down on the couch with its feet on the velvet, near where Sora was moving his arm about to make the Egao figure look like it was dancing. Kairi started to copy Sora's arm movements to make the figure of Amai look like it was dancing in the same routine as the figure of Egao. As she mirrored the moments of the boy's arm, Kairi looked up at Sora to see he was grinning softly at her. She shot him a grin back before looking down at his hand again so that Amai would be able to copy Egao's dance moves.

* * *

The two teenagers were still sitting on the couch by the time the sun was starting to set. They had not grown bored of the loud music, which was the reason why the player was continuing to play the CD, currently reaching the end of the track that had been listed just before the last one. They listened to the sound of base and acoustic guitars as they looked down at the figures they were still holding, continuing to happily to move them to the rhythm of the music. It had been enjoyable to make Egao and Amai dance to the music of Sora's toddlerhood.

As the music started to fade down, Sora glanced at the player, remembering which track was about to be played. He let go of the Egao figure - causing it to fall onto its back – and turned towards Kairi, taking hold of her free hand, which surprised her and stopped her from moving the Amai figure about. She looked up at Sora, blushing softly, as he grinned widely down at her.

Taking hold of Sora's hand tightly, Kairi looked towards the player. The track that had just been playing had reached its end. Silence filled the room in place of the booming music. Kairi turned to Sora, opening her mouth to ask if the track that had just been playing was the last one. She was about to start asking the question, but was stopped in surprise by the soft sound of a piano being played. She looked towards the CD player, realizing it was the sound source. The piano music was not as loud as the other tracks that had just been played, but Kairi instantly took a liking to it. It was a slow, soft melody which she thought was beautiful.

"This is the very track I severely despised," Sora explained, pointing to the CD player while chuckling at many memories that were flowing through his head. "I really hated it, and I would _never _dance to it. I thought it sounded very silly."

Kairi looked away from the CD player to grin up at the boy. She could not believe he had hated the beautiful melody that was playing. "You thought this track was silly? I think it sounds wonderful."

"Well, I was only a little kid at the time. I would not have wanted to have danced to it, although now…" Sora gently squeezed Kairi's hand, smiling softly down at her. "…I _do _want to dance to it…with you."

Kairi's jaw dropped as soon as she had heard the boy's request. Feeling her heart beating fast, she was about to tell Sora she accepted his offer, but was pulled to her feet before she could answer. She dropped the figure of Amai in surprise onto the wooden floor, which Sora led her to the middle of. As he turned around to smile down at her, still holding her right hand, she smiled softly up at him, reaching up with her left hand to place it onto his right shoulder.

Placing his right hand onto the side of Kairi's waist, Sora started to lead the dance, slowly spinning in circles around the room. He gently raised Kairi's arm up as he moved his feet to the slow rhythm of the piano music. He grinned softly down at the girl as she followed his dance movements, grinning back up at him.

Dancing their way back to the middle of the room, Sora stood where he and Kairi were, beginning to sway gently from side to side. Kairi swayed with him, resting her head onto the boy's chest. Closing her eyes with a happy smile, she let go of his hand and shoulder so that she could hug him around his torso. Blushing softly, Sora began to slowly spin in circles around the room again, hugging the girl back.

As she continued to dance happily with Sora, Kairi was reminded of when they had danced together in Night Sky. Being in the lounge of Sora's house did not make a difference, for it was still just as magical as when they had been in the restaurant; the sun setting through the front window, the soft piano music and – best of all - dancing with the boy she loved more than anything was making the evening wonderful for Kairi. She wished it would never have to end.

Kairi could feel Sora leading her across the wooden floor as he walked carefully backwards while still hugging her. She walked forwards with him, keeping her head on his chest, her eyes closed and her arms around his torso. She felt him stop, beginning to sway again, so she copied his movements. As she let out a small sigh of happiness, she felt herself beginning to fall backwards while her feet were forced off the wooden floor, although she could still feel Sora's arms around her. She was not surprised or afraid, as she knew what was happening. Calmly, she slid her arms that were around the boy's torso to around his neck just before he stopped lowering her towards the floor. With a soft blush, she slowly opened her eyes, finding herself looking up at Sora as he cradled her in his arms over the wooden floor. She let off another soft, happy sigh as she smiled up at Sora, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

Keeping her arms around Sora's neck, Kairi gazed up at him with sparkling eyes. He grinned back down at her, hugging her tight as he swayed to the music at a much slower pace. He could tell by the expression on her face that she was enjoying dancing with him, which he was very glad of.

They continued to sway together to the music, which they could hear was now starting to die down. Despite not ever hearing the track before, Kairi knew it was coming to its end. She felt a little disappointed, as she knew it meant she would have to stop dancing with Sora. At the same time, however, she was very happy that he had asked her to dance, which she had not been expecting. She had thoroughly enjoyed the dance, thinking it was as wonderful as the one they had shared at Night Sky.

With the soft music dying down completely, the room became as quiet as it had been before they had put the CD on. Kairi kept her arms around Sora's neck, looking up at the boy as he kept his arms around her. Her cheeks were bright pink and her heart was continuing race as fast as it could. She wanted to tell Sora how mush she had loved dancing with him, but she was so happy, she could not speak.

Reaching up with his left hand while still hugging her, Sora gently ran his fingers through the girl's red hair. He smiled softly down at her, having enjoyed the dance as much as she had. He was able to see the girl's beautiful face well, although he felt the atmosphere of the room had changed. Looking up, he was surprised to realize the room was very dark. He looked over his shoulder and towards the front window to see that the sun had sunk beneath the horizon, replaced by a full moon, which was high up in a dark night sky. The moonlight was shining through the window, allowing Sora to see Kairi well enough in the dark room. He could hear a car's engine outside the house, and as he watched, he saw a familiar–looking shape of a car pulling up outside the house, its pair of front headlamps shooting white beams of light while its tail lights were shooting red beams of light to warn oncoming traffic. As the car started to slowly reverse right, backing onto the drive of the house, Sora knew his mother was home from her shopping trip.

"It looks like I'm gonna have to go home," Kairi sighed softly, looking past Sora towards the window. "And I've had such a fun time."

Kairi could feel Sora run his fingers through her hair again. She rested her head back onto his chest as she closed her eyes again, comforted by the boy's fingers gently stroking her hair.

"You'll also have a fun time, tomorrow, Kairi," she heard the boy tell her in a soft tone. "Tomorrow may be my birthday, but I'm still gonna give you a fun day…right after…I've had my…"

Knowing what the boy was struggling to say, Kairi looked down sadly, keeping her head on Sora's chest. She thought it was very heartbreaking that he would have to spend some of his birthday in the hospital, having surgery. Even though she knew it was to remove his cancer, she could not help feeling devastated. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see the miserable expression on Sora's face, which caused her face to fall even lower. She looked down sadly at her feet, her eyes beginning to tear up. She was in the arms of a boy she loved who had always done everything he could to make her happy, which she always succeeded to do. If he was to never be with her again, there would be no chance of her being happy without him.

Sora put on a small, sad smile when he saw Kairi's heartbroken expression. As he continued to stroke her hair, he placed his free hand onto her left cheek, causing her to blush and look up at him. He caressed her cheek gently as he stroked her hair. "Don't be sad, Kairi. I want to have a happy birthday, tomorrow. I can't if you go around with a sad face. That'll make my birthday a sad one. It won't be long before I'm home from the hospital. The doctors will know what they're doing. They'll let me go once the surgery is done, then the two of us can spend my birthday together."

Kairi looked down to hide her expression from Sora. Thoughts of the upcoming day were beginning to race through her head - but were quickly interrupted by the sound of Nikkou turning the front door's handle from outside. She hastily pulled away from Sora and stood up straight. She forced a smile towards the boy, who was looking at her in confusion, before turning towards the door. It was impossible for her to stop blushing hard.

The front door was pushed open, and Nikkou stepped into the house. She was struggling to keep a grip on several shopping bags which she was carrying. Tapping the door with her right shin, causing it to swing shut, she dropped all of the shopping bags onto the wooden floor. Sora and Kairi could see that all of the bag's handles were tied together.

Nikkou let of a weary sigh before looking up at Sora and Kairi, smiling. "Hello, you two. Have you both had fun, today?"

Nodding, Sora grinned widely at his mother. "We played the CD which had all the music I used to dace to when I was little, and while we listened to the music, we played with the action figures of Egao and Amai."

Nikkou chuckled softly, remembering the items from Sora's toddler years. She turned to Kairi. "I expect Sora told you about how he always used to dance to all of those tracks, except one. Did he also tell you about how he never played with Amai?"

"Yeah, he did," Kairi replied, sharing Nikkou's chuckle. "Except he let me play with Amai, then the two of us danced together to the track he _used _to hate."

Smiling softly at Kairi in silence for a few seconds, Nikkou took a few steps forward, leaving the shopping bags where they were. She raised her right arm and pointed to them, turning to Sora. "Take some of these bags upstairs, please, Sora, and no looking inside them."

Looking towards the bags, Sora wondered what was inside them. He was unable to see through the polyethylene that had been used to make them, and as he walked towards them, he could see how tight the knots were in the handles. He picked up four of the bags – two in each hand – and walked past Kairi and his mother to stride up the stairs.

Nikkou watched her son until he had reached the top of the stairs and had disappeared from sight. Quickly, she unzipped her handbag. As she reached into it, she faced Kairi with an excited grin. "I managed to get something for you in town."

"For me?" Kairi was very surprised, as she had not expected Nikkou to buy anything for her. She gave a chuckle, shaking her head. "You didn't have to buy me anything. There was no need-"

"There was, actually," Nikkou interrupted hastily, pulling a thin box made of blue plastic out of her handbag. She held it towards Kairi for her to take. "It's to go towards what we have planned for tomorrow."

Looking at the box with puzzled eyes, Kairi took it from Nikkou in her left hand. She held it in front of her face for a few seconds, wondering what was inside. Raising her right hand, she lifted the lid off the box, finding that inside was a key, resting against the velvet that the inside of the box had been made with.

"I had that key cut for you in town," Nikkou explained, raising her finger to point at the key, looking down at it. "It's a key to our house, so you'll be able to let yourself in and prepare our plan."

Kairi smiled softly as she looked down at the key, thinking about what she was going to do, the following day. She would have to be very busy, but she knew she would be able to manage it. It sounded like a lot of fun, and she knew that when Sora would finally discover what was planned, everything would be very wonderful.

Looking up from the key, Kairi smiled at Nikkou. "Thank you, Nikkou. I'll make sure everything will go just the way we want it to."

"I know you will, Kairi. I'm looking forward to seeing it for myself. I bet I'll be just as surprised as Sora." Nikkou laughed cheerfully as she walked over to the carrier bags that were lying on the floor. As she picked two of them up in her left hand, she walked past Kairi to the foot of the stairs, turning to the girl. "I'll see you, tomorrow, when Sora and I come home from the hospital, Kairi."

"Okay. Bye, Nikkou. Thanks for letting me come over."

Kairi watched as the brown-haired woman proceeded to walk up the stairs. Turning towards the door, she looked down at the key for a final time before placing the lid back on the box. She was looking forward to the next day, although she felt sad at the fact that Sora would have to go through surgery while she was preparing the plan Nikkou wanted her to do.

Hearing feet thundering down the stairs, Kairi hastily opened the pouch attached to her belt. Quickly, she placed the box inside, closing up the pouch before turning around to see Sora jump off the bottom stair. She was glad to see he was not looking at her suspiciously, which meant he had not seen her holding the box. She forced a smile in his direction. "Sora, I'm gonna go home now. I'm gonna have an early night, because I want to be up early for your birthday – even though you have to go to the hospital, first thing."

Sora looked at Kairi in disappointment. He had enjoyed the day, and he was very sorry that she was leaving. "I won't see you until the afternoon."

"I know. But I've had such a wonderful day with you; learning about the music you liked to dance to and the toy you liked to play with. Thank you for inviting me over, Sora."

Feeling tears in her eyes, Kairi quickly turned towards the door. She was hoping they would fade away by the time she would step out of the house, as she wanted to hug Sora, but did not want to ruin the day by crying. Sniffling as quietly as she could, she stepped towards the door, pulling it open by its handle, letting the air from the dark night enter the room. "Bye, Sora."

"Wait, Kairi!"

Hearing the boy call after her in a loud voice, Kairi looked over her shoulder towards him. She shot him a surprised expression, forgetting there were tears in her eyes. Sora could see them, but he knew how to stop them. He looked down towards where the figure of Amai was lying on the floor. Reaching down towards it, he picked it up, walked towards Kairi and held it out to her as he stood in front of her.

As she turned towards the boy and hesitantly took the small figure from him in her left hand, Kairi gazed up at Sora, confused. He gave a chuckle, realizing she did not know what he wanted her to do, before smiling softly down at her. "I want you to keep Amai."

Kairi's eyes widened in both disbelief and delight as she continued to look up at Sora, surprised by what he wanted her to do. She looked down at the figure, happy that Sora was being kind enough to let her keep it. Shooting her head back up at the boy, she gave him a surprised expression, her tears fading away. "You really want me to keep this toy from your toddler years?"

Sora gave a cheery laugh. "_That _isn't a toy from my toddler years. As I told you, I never played with it. I can tell you really like it, and I know you would have loved to have had one when you were a toddler, so I'm letting you keep it."

As her face brightened up, showing a wide, happy smile, Kairi threw her arms around Sora while still holding the figure. "Thank you, Sora! Thank you!"

Grinning softly, as he was pleased Kairi was happily accepting the figure, Sora hugged her back. "You're welcome, Kairi. I'm glad you've had a happy day."

"I have." Kairi pulled away, still smiling as she gazed up at Sora with a blush. "And I hope you have a happy birthday, tomorrow, Sora."

"I will," Sora replied softly as he grinned down at the girl. He watched her turn away from him and step out of the house. Ideas were running through the boy's head as he tried to think of how the two of them could spend his birthday together.

As she took a few steps along the path, Kairi stood before the gateway. She looked over her shoulder to smile happily at the boy. She raised her left hand to show him she still had the figure of Amai while waving to him with her right hand. "Bye, Sora! Thanks for another lovely day!"

"Bye, Kairi! It's okay!" Sora waved back towards the girl, beaming happily at her. He was very happy that she had enjoyed the day. "We'll have another great day, tomorrow afternoon."

Kairi stepped out through the gateway, walking away from Sora's house as she continued to wave brightly towards him. She watched him until he finally closed the front door. Feeling excited over the upcoming day, she walked quickly up the street to return to her house, smiling at the figure of Amai all the way.

**

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**

That sure was a long chapter. I wanted it to have childish things, just to make it cute and fairly happy, which is what gave me the idea for Sora to show Kairi toys from his toddler years.

**If any **_**Toy Story**_** fans are reading this, I wanted him to have toys of Woody and Buzzlightyear, as seen in the movies, and maybe he could have given Kairi a Jessie doll. XD Since those characters haven't appeared in any Kingdom Hearts games (although it would be cool if they did), I decided to avoid using them.**

**So while this chapter was really long, the next one will be really short. Hopefully, it'll be up soon – especially since I've been looking forward to writing it.**


	40. Comforting Voices

**And here's chapter forty, which I've been looking forward to writing, as I mentioned in the last chapter. Why have I been looking forward to it? Read on to find out. ;)**

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Kairi was sitting up in her bed, dressed in her nightgown. She was holding the figure of Amai in both of her hands, looking down sadly at its smiling face. The teddy bear was lying next to the girl, tucked up under the duvet with its head resting against the pillow. Neither of the two toys that had been made for young children were succeeding in cheering the girl up.

Terrible thoughts were racing through Kairi's mind, keeping her awake. She could not stop thinking about what Sora was going through, which was the reason why she was unable to sleep. The thought of the boy she loved having cancer was making the girl worry about what life would be like if he was no longer with her. It was a heartbreaking thought for Kairi, and she was very afraid that it would happen.

Looking up from the Amai figure, Kairi looked around her dark bedroom. The light was not turned on, although moonlight was shining through the bedroom window, for the curtains had been drawn back. Kairi realized how alone she felt. She was all by herself in the house, which only helped to make her continue to sadly think of how alone she would be without Sora.

Kairi could feel tears build up in her eyes. As she let off a heartbroken sigh, she held up the Amai figure to allow herself to see it more easily. The tears began to leak out of the girl's eyes, falling down her cheeks.

"Sora is my best friend," Kairi said softly to herself, feeling her voice cracking painfully. "He's always there for me, always ready to dry my tears. What if he won't be with me anymore? It would be the most horrible thing to happen in my life. I feel so scared to lose him…so alone..."

"You aren't alone, Kairi. I'm with you."

Kairi instantly gasped in shock, dropping the figure onto the duvet. Her teary eyes widened fearfully. She had just heard a voice echo nearby, but no one was in sight. Feeling suddenly afraid, she glanced around her room, unable to see anyone in the darkness.

Looking towards the bedroom door, Kairi, still frightened, wondered if the person who had spoken to her was outside the room, standing in the corridor. "Who are you? Are you out there?"

"No, I'm with you."

Kairi began to tremble as her fear rose. From the second time the echoing voice had spoken to her, she could tell the person who it belonged to – whoever they were – was certainly in the room, and also sounded female. Glancing quickly around the entire room again, her jaw hung open. She did not have any idea of who was speaking to her or where they were in the room.

Looking down with frightened eyes, Kairi gave another shocked gasp as she saw the Amai figure lying on the duvet. With a trembling right hand, the girl took hold of the figure, hesitantly lifting it up so she could look with fear at its plastic face. It smiled up at her, gazing at her with its painted eyes.

Kairi could not believe what she was thinking any more than she could believe what she was hearing. It did not seem possible at all, but she had to find out if what she was thinking was true. "Did _you_ speak to me, Amai?"

"No, Kairi. _I _spoke to you."

As soon as the voice spoke to her again, Kairi's fear suddenly vanished, although her eyes were still wide. She placed the figure down onto the duvet, realizing it was not speaking to her. Reaching up, Kairi slowly placed her right hand to her forehead, realizing it was where the voice – which sounded very familiar - was echoing from.

After a few rapid thoughts raced through her mind, Kairi let off another loud gasp, realizing who was speaking to her. "_Naminé?_"

"Yes, Kairi. It's me. I'm with you."

Her trembling stopping instantly, Kairi slowly removed her hand from her forehead. The tears had stopped leaking out of her wide eyes, although they had left fresh marks on her cheeks. Hearing the voice of her Nobody made Kairi feel a little better, as well as stunned. She put on a small smile. "It's nice to hear from you, Naminé."

"Yes, and it's very nice to speak to you, Kairi. I'm sorry we haven't spoken in a while, but when I realized how sad you just were, it made me feel just as miserable. I had to say something."

The small smile vanished from Kairi's face as soon as she had heard the words of Naminé. She looked towards the space beside her bed, imagining her Nobody standing there, a heartbroken expression on her face. Kairi could perfectly picture Naminé with her blonde hair that was almost as short as hers had once been, looking at with her blue eyes, dressed in her white dress and light blue sandals that showed off fake yellow flowers.

Sighing sadly, Kairi looked down miserably at the floor. "You know what Sora is going through, Naminé?"

"I've known ever since the evening he confessed to you, Kairi. I felt as devastated as you did when we found out he has cancer. It's very sad that Sora will be going through surgery on his birthday. But I would just like to remind you to try to be happy for him, Kairi."

Looking up from the floor, Kairi's ears perked up. Naminé's command had reminded her of what Sora wanted her to do.

"I know you're upset over Sora," Naminé continued sympathetically. "But you want him to have a happy birthday, don't you?"

"Yes…" Kairi murmured quietly, remembering what Sora had told her about him being sad on his birthday if she were to be miserable. "I really want his birthday to be happy."

"He wants it to be happy, as well. You have the job to prepare what his mother wants to make her son's birthday wonderful. When he comes home, you'll need to have it ready, and after that, you and all of Sora's friends can enjoy his birthday and bring a smile to his face. It'll make you happy, too, which is what Sora mostly wants."

Kairi thought about what she and Nikkou had been keeping secret from Sora for four days. She would be joined by everyone else who knew about it, the following day. What they had scheduled was all for Sora, and it was to make him feel very happy on his birthday. Kairi smiled softly to herself as she pictured Sora beaming happily as soon as he would find out what his surprise was. She hoped he would just as delighted when he would arrive home from the hospital, so she would have to make sure everything would go the way she wanted it to.

"And I want to remind you, Kairi," Naminé said kindly, "that Sora will be okay, tomorrow. The doctors will know what they are doing. They will remove the cancer cells, then Sora will be free to go home."

Kairi did not answer Naminé, although she remained smiling. The reassurance from her Nobody had helped her to feel better. She was looking forward to Sora arriving back at his house after returning from the hospital. Her mind was now racing with thoughts on what she would be planning. She was also glad that she would no longer have to keep the surprise from Sora for much longer.

"Now make sure, Kairi, that tomorrow, Sora has a very happy birthday," Naminé told her softly. Kindness had continued to fill the Nobody's voice, as she wanted to make sure her friend would enjoy Sora's birthday, despite what the boy would be going through in the morning.

"I will," Kairi replied, still smiling. She was grateful for Naminé's support. "Thank you so much for talking to me about what was making me upset."

"It's okay, Kairi," Naminé answered quietly. "I'm really glad we got to talk. If you ever feel sad when Sora isn't around, you can talk to me. I know I'm not as good to talk to as Sora is, but-"

"Don't say that, Naminé," Kairi interrupted with a frown, not enjoying hearing the Nobody who had helped her put herself down. "I was feeling sad, but you just cheered me up. Don't say you aren't good to talk to. I'm very grateful that you want to support me when I feel upset. Your encouragement has really helped me."

"Well, Kairi…" Naminé murmured quietly, feeling very glad she had managed to cheer Kairi up, as well as how grateful the red-haired girl was. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

A soft smile appeared on Kairi's face again. She did not know what she would be able to do without her friends who cared about her. The upsetting times she had faced in her life would be even more frustrating and difficult for her. "Thank you so much, Naminé. I'd better go to sleep now. I'm gonna be very busy, tomorrow. I have to make sure Sora's surprise will be ready by the time he gets home."

"Okay, Kairi. I hope you and Sora have a good day, tomorrow," Naminé whispered softly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Naminé."

As Kairi lay back in her bed, resting her head against the pillow, she smiled up at the ceiling. She was no longer feeling heartbroken, as she was thinking about what she had planned for the next day. It would not be long before Sora would finally discover what she and Nikkou had planned.

Taking hold of the duvet, Kairi pulled it over herself – and heard something hit the floor. Startled by the noise, she sat up again and looked down towards the section of the floor that was near the bed, lit up by the moonlight that was shining through the window. She could see the figure of Amai lying on the carpet, and she remembered she had dropped it onto the duvet when she had realized it was Naminé who had been speaking to her.

Reaching out with her left hand towards where the figure of Amai was lying, Kairi picked up the small toy. She held it up in front of her, giving it a small smile, before stretching her left arm towards the windowsill, where she placed the little figure onto its feet, facing the window.

Kairi looked up at the little figure, smiling softly at it, as she lay back in her bed. After resting her head against the pillow and pulling the duvet over herself, she pulled the teddy bear into a hug. With the smile still on her face, she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep within seconds.

* * *

Sora frowned sadly as he lay in his bed, dressed in his red pyjamas. The bedroom light had been turned off and the curtains were drawn in front of the window. No sounds could be heard, apart from the boy's own breathing. It was impossible for him to sleep, as he was feeling so worried about the following day. He could not stop thinking in fear about the surgery he was going to need.

Sitting up in his bed, Sora looked towards the floor - which he could hardly see, due to the darkness of the room. He glared hard, pressing the palms of his hands to the sides of his head. It was hard for him to believe he was going through surgery on the morning of his sixteenth birthday. He continued to think about what he was going through. He felt upset and angry at himself for falling asleep under the sun and being given cancer.

"Why did I have to fall asleep?" he said aloud to himself in frustration. He was trying to keep his voice low, as he did not want to wake up Nikkou, who was asleep in her own bedroom. "Kairi was with me, that day. All she wanted was for me to spend time with her. I just kept sleeping under the sun all the time, and even when I promised to spend time with her, I still fell asleep. That's what gave me cancer, which is hurting Kairi, Mom, Riku and everyone else. Why did I have to get cancer? And how do I know I'll be okay when I have surgery, tomorrow?"

"You'll be fine, Sora."

Sora's ears perked up as his eyes widened. A voice had just echoed around the room. It did not belong to Nikkou, as it was a male voice. He was sure, however, that it sounded familiar – which did not stop him from feeling frightened. Staying in his bed, he looked frantically around the room, trying to see if anyone was hiding in the darkness.

"You don't have to be worried, Sora. Not about the surgery - or me."

Sora froze as soon as he heard the voice echo again. There was no one hiding in the darkness, but the voice sounded like it was coming from nearby. Sora had no idea where the voice was coming from, and although he felt scared, he felt the need to find out, which would also allow him to find out who it belong to. "Where are you?"

"I'm with you, Sora. You don't have to feel scared. It's me."

A loud gasp escaped from Sora as he suddenly realized who the voice belonged to. Slowly, he slid the palms of his hands from the sides of his head to the front. He clutched his forehead, now knowing it was where the voice was coming from. "_Roxas?_"

"Hey, Sora," the Nobody of the fifteen-year old boy replied quietly. The tone of his voice had lowered, although it was still echoing. Roxas sounded pleased to hear from Sora. "It's nice to get to speak to you again."

As he slowly removed his trembling hands from his forehead, Sora stared into space with his jaw hanging open. He was feeling very surprised to hear from his Nobody. The thoughts of the surgery were quickly replaced by thoughts of Roxas, smiling at him. Sora could easily remember his dirty blond hair that was rather messy and spiky, along with his deep blue eyes. It was not hard for the fifteen-year old boy to remember Roxas was often dressed in his white jacket that had a red collar and black, checkered squares that went around his torso and shoulders. He would wear it over another jacket, which was black with a zipper that had been shaped with four points to make it look like the Nobody symbol, to go with his baggy, grey and black trousers and his black shoes with red laces. Roxas would also were a wristband with black and white checkered squares, as well as a black ring on the index finger of his right hand, right next to a white ring on his middle finger on the same hand.

Pleased to hear from his Nobody, Sora was about to speak, but hesitated. He was sure that the reason why Roxas had spoken to him was due to what he had just been complaining about. Sora closed his mouth, looking sadly down towards the floor. "I take it you just heard what I had been saying, Roxas."

"Yes, Sora." The tone of Roxas' voice was just as low, although it now sounded as though he was feeling very upset. "I know what you've been going through. I know you have cancer. I'm really sorry you have to go through that. It's a terrible thing."

Sora let off a deep sigh, closing his eyes. "So you know that I have to go for surgery, tomorrow?"

"I know that very well, Sora. But I need to tell you; you will be okay."

"What makes you think that?" Sora muttered with a hard frown. He was now slightly annoyed over how confident Roxas was being when there was no way for him to know how he would be. His Nobody's confidence was not making him feel any better.

"Because remember what the doctor who diagnosed you told you?" Roxas asked, not taking any noticed of how annoyed Sora was with him. "Once you've had the surgery, you'll be free to go home. You'll be able to celebrate your birthday."

Sora's ears perked up at the mention of his birthday. He thought he would be able to feel better, knowing the day he turned sixteen was the following day, but he only felt more devastated at the fact he would be spending the morning in the hospital, which made him worry about the girl he loved. "What about Kairi? I want to spend my birthday with her, but she will have to wait until I come home. I feel terrible enough, causing her all this pain by getting cancer, but during tomorrow morning, I won't be able to cheer her up. I'll be at the hospital while she will be feeling upset about me."

"Kairi's known since the day you told her you have cancer that you need surgery," Roxas reminded the boy. "Yes, it is upsetting for her to know you have to go through that, especially on your birthday – but she knows it's to help you."

Sora put a hand to his mouth as what Roxas had told him ran through his mind. He already felt slightly better, as he knew that even though he did not want to have surgery on his birthday, he was only going to have it for the cancer cells to be removed. He knew the doctors would only finish once they had gotten rid of all of the cells in his arm. Although he had hated seeing Kairi feel upset over him having to go through surgery, Sora was sure she was also aware it was only to help him.

"And if Kairi _does_ feel sad while you're at the hospital," Roxas went on, sounding more cheerful, "someone will be with her to support her."

Sora's eyes widened slightly with surprise and confusion. He had not expected Kairi to be supported by somebody while he was at the hospital. He had not asked anyone to look after her, and he did not know how Roxas had managed to ask someone to be there for her. "Who? Who is going to support her?"

"It's Naminé."

"_Naminé?_"

Sora's eyes widened even more at the mention of Kairi's Nobody. He had not thought of her, but he instantly believed Roxas was right. Despite not knowing that Naminé had just comforted Kairi, he was sure she would be able to give the girl he loved the support she needed if she were to feel upset while he was at the hospital.

"I know Naminé would not like to see Kairi feel upset," Roxas assured, sounding even more confident. "We can both trust her to help her if she needs support."

Sora grinned softly, knowing Roxas was right. He felt a lot better, as he knew Kairi would have someone to support her while he was not there. He was very glad to be friends with Naminé and Roxas. Naminé would make sure Kairi would be okay, which Roxas had reminded him of in order to cheer him up.

"You'd better go to sleep now, Sora," Roxas told him, his voice lowering to a whisper. "It's gonna be a very busy day for you, tomorrow, but I know that when you come home from the hospital, the rest of the day will go well for you."

"Okay, Roxas," Sora replied, nodding with the grin still on his face. "Thanks for making me feel better."

"It's okay, Sora. There's just one more thing I have to say, though."

Sora blinked, wondering what Roxas had to say. He was very curious, although he was not worried, for he did not think it would be something he would not like to hear. "What's that?"

"Happy birthday for tomorrow."

His smile softening, Sora looked up from towards the floor. He gazed towards where the bedroom door was, feeling very happy and grateful for his Nobody's support. "Thanks, Roxas. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sora."

Lying back in his bed, Sora pulled the duvet over himself. He rested his against the pillow, the happy smile still on his face. As he excitedly thought about how enjoyable he knew his birthday was going to be, he slowly closed his eyes. The thoughts of his birthday ran through his mind for a few fast minutes before he fell asleep, looking forward to his upcoming birthday.

* * *

**So there's the fortieth chapter of this story. Originally, this scene wasn't planned – and Roxas and Naminé weren't even going to appear in this story. I wanted to put them in, but couldn't think of a way to include them. I felt this story would be very empty if they didn't appear, and I didn't feel like just mentioning them without giving them an appearance. After some thinking, I came up with this idea for a scene, so decided to include it. I might even come up with a scene where they appear properly, which I would certainly like to do. If I don't get to do that, though, I'm satisfied that they've had some soft of appearance instead of no appearance at all. :)**

**Now, I'm sure you can tell that you are now one chapter away from finding out what the surprise for Sora is. :P Sorry for keeping you in suspense for so long. I just thought it would be good to surprise you as well, and at least you get to find out what it is before Sora. XD**

**It might take some time to get that chapter written, but I hope you'll like it when I finally get it done.**


	41. Surprise Preparations

**Sorry for the long wait for a new update. This chapter took me a few days to write, as it's very long. I know you've been waiting a while for this one. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

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Letting off a small, tired groan, Sora opened his eyes – both of them quickly widening in excitement.

He was lying in his bed, staring up at the bedroom ceiling, which was difficult for him to see, as the light in the room was very dim. Outside, the sun was still making its way up into the bright, orange sky. The curtains were drawn across the bedroom window, but a small gap had been left in between them. Daylight was creeping through the gap, trying to make the atmosphere in the room much brighter.

Sora grinned widely as he sat up in his bed, looking towards the curtains. He was feeling very happy, as he knew he was now sixteen-years old. He could not wait to go downstairs to start celebrating his birthday. How he would celebrate it with Kairi, however, he had still not decided.

Hearing the handle of the bedroom door being turned, Sora quickly looked towards the door, which was being pushed open. Nikkou walked into the room, already dressed in her green, long-sleeved shirt and black trousers with a pair of pink, cotton slippers on her feet.

A wide, happy smile was on Nikkou's face as she approached her sixteen-year old son. "Happy birthday, Sora!"

"Thanks, Mom," Sora murmured softly, smiling as his mother kissed him on his forehead.

Nikkou looked down proudly at her son. "You're sixteen-years old now. I can't believe it."

"I know, but I'm really excited about today. I didn't expect you to be up so early, Mom."

A chuckle escaped from Nikkou. "I've got to be up early on my son's birthday. So are you going to get up now?"

Sora quickly threw the duvet off himself before placing his feet on the floor. He stood up, grinning widely in excitement at Nikkou. "You bet I am! It's time for me to start celebrating my birthday!"

Nikkou's smile disappeared instantly. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sora quickly ran past her, heading out through the bedroom door. He started to race cheerfully down the staircase, expecting to find the lounge filled with beautifully-wrapped presents, birthday banners hanging from the walls with balloons taped on each end.

Sora was just reaching the bottom of the staircase when he looked up – and froze in horror. He stood on the bottom step, looking around with wide eyes that were filled with disbelief.

There was not a present, banner or balloon to be seen. The lounge looked exactly the same way it looked every other day. Nothing that showed any signs that it was the boy's birthday was in sight. It looked as though Nikkou had not made any effort during the previous night to make her son's birthday special.

As he stepped off the bottom stair and onto the wooden floor, Sora's face fell. He walked slowly into the middle of the lounge, looking around with shocked, miserable eyes. In all of the past years of his life, even when he was a baby, his mother had always stayed awake during most of the nights before his birthdays to fill the lounge with presents and decorations, which would bring a smile to his face as soon as he would come down the stairs. Why had she not done the same for this year?

Hearing his mother's footsteps coming from the staircase, Sora turned around to gaze at his mother with confused eyes as she reached the bottom stair. She stepped off it as she looked guiltily at her son, seeing the disappointment all over his face.

"Mom?" Sora exclaimed in a puzzled voice, turning away from Nikkou to look with confused eyes around the living room again. "Why…isn't the room filled with decorations…and why aren't my presents here?"

"Sora…" Nikkou murmured quietly, struggling to speak in a normal tone. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Is it because staying up every night before my birthday got too tiring for you?" Sora turned back to his mother, a small smile trying to creep its way onto his face. "It's okay if that's the reason, but can I just have my presents now?"

"You…can't…" Nikkou replied with difficultly, instantly looking down at the wooden floor. She knew what her son was going to ask next.

Sora's jaw dropped in shock. He looked at his mother with a horrified expression, not understanding anything that was going on. "_What? Why?_"

Closing her eyes, Nikkou slowly raised her head. She opened her eyes to look at her son, giving him the same expression she had given him since she had come down the stairs. "Do you remember what you'll be going through, today?"

Sora frowned hard at his mother. "Yes. I'm going through surgery, today. But-"

"We have to go to the hospital now," Nikkou interrupted, raising her hand to stop her son from speaking any further. "We need to go over there so the doctors can remove the cancer cells from your arm."

"I know, Mom," Sora whined sulkily, beginning to feel nervous as he thought about the fact that it was now the day of the surgery. "But can't I have my presents first?"

Nikkou turned away from her son, walking through the doorway that led to the kitchen. "No, Sora. We have to get ready to go to the hospital. Once we're ready, we can go over there, and the doctors will soon be able to remove the cancer cells in your arm."

Sighing sadly, Sora stepped into the kitchen, taking a chair that was at the table for himself. He propped both of his elbows onto the table to hold his head in his hands. Since he was staring into space, he did not notice Nikkou place a bowl in front of him on the table, pouring some cereal into it. He knew that he was supposed to be feeling happy, as he was finally going to have the cancer cells removed from his arm. What was making him feel miserable was his wish that he had never gotten cancer in the first place. He did not like the thought of going to the hospital on his birthday, which he desperately wanted to spend with Kairi. Even though the doctors had told him he would be free to go home after the surgery, he hoped they would not keep him there for very long, as they had done when he was supposed to have been spending a whole day with Kairi. Sora did not want to waste any of his possible final days of spending time with her.

* * *

"Are you nearly done up there, Sora? We have to leave now!"

"I will be, Mom! I'm just gonna brush my teeth!"

Nikkou stood at the bottom of the stairs, her pair of black, flat shoes now on her feet instead of the pink slippers. The living room was now much brighter, as the sun was now high up in a blue sky. After Sora had finished his breakfast, he had raced upstairs to get ready. Nikkou was trying to make sure that before leaving for the hospital, she had enough time to do a quick task without Sora seeing.

Walking into the kitchen, Nikkou stepped towards the worktop, where two plastic bowls, an electric whisk, a sifter, a measuring cup and a circular, metal tin were lying on top. She had taken them all out of the floor cupboard and had placed them onto the worktop after Sora had disappeared up the stairs. Lying near the instruments was a small notebook, which she quickly grabbed in her left hand before opening it to the first, blank page. She turned to the table, instantly spotting a pencil lying near the right edge. Picking it up in her right hand, she quickly started to scribble a message onto the blank page she had turned to. Her writing was rushed and untidy, but she knew the person who the message was intended for would still be able to read it.

As soon as she had finished writing the message, Nikkou dropped the pencil back onto the table and tore the page out of the notebook, which she placed back onto the worktop. Stepping back into the lounge with the page in her left hand, she could hear Sora's footsteps heading towards the staircase. Quickly, she folded the page in half – her writing on the inside – and placed it onto the left arm of the couch. She turned towards the staircase just as Sora began to walk down it.

Sora was halfway down the stairs when he turned to look at his mother – and spotted the folded page resting on the arm of the couch. Slowing down as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he frowned at it suspiciously. "What's that piece of paper, Mom?"

"It doesn't matter, Sora." Nikkou was trying hard not to allow any nervousness in her voice be heard by her son.

"I wanna see what it is." Sora stepped off the bottom stair and approached the left side of the couch, raising his right hand. He intended to pick up the page and unfold it.

"Leave it, Sora!" Nikkou bellowed demandingly, knowing a loud tone in her voice would stop her son, which it succeeded to do. "We have to get over to the hospital now! If we don't go out any sooner, we'll be late! Let's get in that car and go!"

Sighing, Sora lowered his hand as he followed his mother towards the front door, which she pulled open. He looked down unhappily at his feet as he stepped out of the house. Hopefully, it would not be long before he would be released from the hospital. Spending the day with Kairi would probably remind him that it was a special day for him, even though he still did not know how they were going to celebrate.

Nikkou stepped out of the house and turned towards the front door, which she pulled shut behind her. Taking her set of keys out of her pocket, she locked the door before turning to her car. She stepped over to it and unlocked it with the use of the largest key. Pulling open the door to the driver's seat, she climbed into the car, sitting down in the seat and pulling the door shut.

Sora dragged his feet along the ground as he walked around to the left side of the car. Without looking up, he took hold of the handle of the door that led to the front passenger seat. He climbed into the car, pulling the door shut once he had sat down in the seat. Nikkou was already wearing her seatbelt, and she was waiting for him to put on his own. Sora did not look at her as he fastened his seatbelt, securing himself to the seat. He was finally going to get the cancer cells in his arm removed, although it was not how he had wanted to spend his birthday. The way he had wanted to spend his special day was without getting cancer in the first place and with Kairi, along with the rest of his good friends.

Inserting the ignition key into its socket, Nikkou started the car. She placed her right hand onto the steering wheel as she set down the clutch and gas pedal with her feet. Using her left hand, she set the gearstick into first gear before releasing the handbrake. As she drove the slowly car off the driveway, she quickly steered to the right, beginning to drive the car down the street as she shifted into second gear.

Sora looked miserably through the windshield as they made their way past the houses and parked cars in the street. He did not notice they had already passed Kairi's house. He was trying to figure out why his mother was acting so strangely. Whether the surgery he was going to receive had any impact on her behaviour, he could not tell.

Nikkou brought the car to a stop at the T junction on the end of the street. She kept her right foot on the brake as she used her right hand to hit the indicator. After looking left and right to make sure no traffic was coming from either direction, she brought the clutch up with her left foot while she removed her right foot from the brake to place it onto the gas pedal. Steering the car to the left as it moved onto the other road, she left the street behind and began to drive her way to the hospital.

* * *

Standing in front of her lounge window, Kairi (already dressed in her usual clothes), had been watching Nikkou's car drive past her house and head away from the street. She remained in front of the window in silence, thinking sadly about how Sora was going to receive surgery. Raising her right hand, she wiped away the single tear that had leaked out of her eye. It was the only tear she was going to shed that day, for it was time to concentrate on getting Sora's surprise ready. In her left hand, she was holding her wrapped-up present to Sora, the envelope that contained her card taped to the red wrapping paper. She was looking forward to being able to give it to him.

Kairi walked over to the front door of her house. She pulled it open with her right hand before opening the pouch attached to her belt. Stepping out of the house, she reached into the pouch, pulling a key out of it. She took one look at the key, knowing it was for her house. Kairi pulled the door shut behind her before turning towards it to lock it with the key.

Once she had checked the door was securely locked, Kairi pulled the key out of the keyhole with her right hand before placing it back inside her pouch. She could feel another key lying inside. Earlier that morning, she had placed the key to Sora's house inside her pouch. She was glad she still had it. There would not have been any other way to get inside Sora's house if she had lost it, which would mean the surprise could not be prepared.

Turning away from the house, Kairi walked along the garden path, heading out through the gateway. Turning to her right, she started to walk quickly down the sidewalk. She was heading for the main island to meet a few of her friends, who would be helping her with the surprise.

* * *

Kairi placed the two oars she had been using to row along the sea inside her boat and took hold of the rope that was dangling from the leg of the pier that was in front of her. She had just arrived at the smaller island and was now docking her boat at the pier. As she started to tie the free end of the rope around the front of the boat, she glanced towards the empty boat that was standing to the right of hers, also tied to the pier and bobbing up and down in the water. She grinned softly at it, having spotted it when she had been turning her boat towards the pier and knowing which of her friends it belonged to.

After she had finished tying her boat to the pier, Kairi stood up straight, reaching out to take hold of the pier's ladder and place her feet onto it, leaving her present and card for Sora inside her boat. She climbed up it quickly, pulling herself up onto the wood of the pier. She took a few steps across it, taking in the beach that was below her and admiring its beauty. The sea looked a much brighter blue than before, as there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky. Gently, the waves were washing onto the shore, soaking some of the yellow sand and changing it into a dark brown.

Smiling softly to herself, Kairi turned to her right. The red Gummi Ship was not sitting on the pier, which told her that she had arrived at the beach before her friends had. She took a few steps along the wood, which made small sounds under the soles of her shoes, until she was standing in the spot where the ship usually sat. She looked up into the cloudless sky, trying to spot any sign of the ship. It would eventually come into land, but she hoped it would not take long. Once it would arrive, she would be able to go over to Sora's house to start preparing the surprise. Kairi lowered her head to look out at the ocean, taking a few more steps along the pier to attempt to see past its vanishing point.

The calm sound of the waves lapping was suddenly drowned out by a loud noise, which sounded like engines running. Surprised by the noise, Kairi looked up into the sky again to see the Gummi Ship descending from the air towards the pier. It was already flying low above the sea. Kairi grinned widely, knowing her friends had now arrived. She took a few steps to her left side, watching excitedly as the ship landed right next to her onto the pier. She found herself facing the side door, which she kept both of her eyes fixed to. The ship's engines continued to run for a few seconds, then started to slow down as they were switched off. The sound of the lapping waves could be heard again.

The side door of the ship was pulled open from the inside and Riku jumped out, his feet landing onto the wood of the pier. He grinned at Kairi, happy to see her. "Hey, Kairi. I managed to find Twilight Town, even though I also found flying this ship was pretty hard. I dunno how Sora manages to do it."

"Did you manage to find mine and Sora's friends as well?" Kairi asked hopefully, looking excitedly past Riku and into the Gummi Ship.

"Yeah, they were at the spot where I landed in the world. They knew who I was, as they recognised the ship, and they also said you told them I was coming to take them here. We all got along well."

Kairi glanced at Riku to shoot him the grin on her face before looking through the doorway of the Gummi Ship again. To her delight, Hayner, Pence and Olette stepped out of the ship, all dressed in their usual clothes and grinning back at Kairi. They were feeling just as happy as Kairi was.

"Hey, Kairi," Pence greeted her cheerfully. He was holding in both of his hands a box that was covered in green wrapping paper. A yellow envelope with Sora's name written on was being held to one side of the present by a piece of sticky tape. "Riku was able to pick us up and take us to your world."

"It's absolutely beautiful!" Olette squealed loudly, looking around in amazement from where she was standing. She was awestruck by the sight of the beach with tall trees growing and bright blue waves washing onto its shore. In her hands was a present that was inside a box much smaller than Pence's, wrapped up in orange paper. There was a blue envelope taped to its side, Sora's name written on it.

"And we're ready to prepare Sora's surprise!" Hayner announced in a bellowing voice, holding up the present he was holding. Whatever it was, it was in a box that was larger than Pence's and Olette's, dark blue wrapping paper covering it. The envelope he had used to keep his card to Sora safe was lying on top of the present, taped down.

"So let's get over to his house and prepare it!" Riku ordered excitedly, pulling the side door of the Gummi Ship shut. He started to walk along the pier towards the top of the ladder.

"Hang on, Riku!" Olette cried urgently to him, taking her left hand off her present to raise it. "You've forgotten your stuff!"

Stopping where he was, Riku looked over his shoulder to shoot Olette a confused expression. It vanished quickly as a smile appeared on his face. The silver-haired boy chuckled softly. "I have, haven't I? I'd better go get it, quickly."

The others stood back as Riku returned to the side of the Gummi Ship, pulling the door open. As he jumped inside and walked towards the control desk, Kairi peered curiously into the ship. She was wondering what the boy had left inside the ship.

Riku returned into view and stepped out of the ship, shooting the others a wide, embarrassed grin. Using his entire left arm, he was carrying a present that was a little bigger than Hayner's. It was wrapped up in silver paper with an envelope taped to the side that was facing the others. He raised his right hand, which he was using to hold a small, red book. Kairi could see its front cover had an illustration of a piece of chocolate cake underneath the thin, white words that made the book's title: 'CAKES TO BAKE'.

Looking away from the book, Kairi grinned softly at Riku. "So you _were_ able to get a cookery book?"

"Yeah, I bought this while I was in Twilight Town. This is the exact same book I used when we were at Disney Castle. I found it very easy to use, so you should be able to, as well."

Thinking happily to herself about what Riku meant, Kairi took a few steps away from the others, walking along the pier towards where the top of the ladder was. She turned towards the residents from Twilight Town, pointing down at the boats that were docked at the pier. "You're gonna have to come with us on some boats. Riku and I will be doing the rowing. Sora's house is on the main island."

Pence's stared at Kairi with surprise upon hearing what she had just said. He leaned to his left, trying to look around the corner of the smaller island and see further along the sea. "There's another island? I thought this was just the one."

"I bet it's just as beautiful as this one!" Olette cried out, taking a quick awestruck glance down towards the beach, hoping she could remember every piece of its beauty when she would have to return to Twilight Town.

Hayner frowned slightly at the thought of travelling through the sea in a rowing boat. He slightly rose up both of his arms that were holding his present to Sora. "Will our presents be okay, Kairi? Will we able to get them across the sea?"

"I'll get into my boat and sort out the presents so they can all get to the main island with all of us," Riku announced responsibly, stepping over to the edge of the pier with his present and cookery book still in his hands. He took a large jump forward, flying off the pier and landing down into his boat. After placing his present down at the rear of the boat, putting the book down on top of it, he turned around and walked forward. He was facing the pier and stretching his arms upwards. "Okay, Hayner. Gimme your present."

The others were already standing in front of where the ladder was, looking down towards where Riku was standing in his boat. Hayner was holding his present in both of his hands. He stretched out his arms towards Riku, lowering them so that the silver-haired boy could take the present from him. As soon as it was in his hands, Riku turned around to walk to where his own present was sitting in the boat. He used his whole left arm to hold Hayner's present so that he could pick the book up in his right hand, placing it down onto the box in dark blue wrapping paper as soon as he had put it on top of his own present.

"Alright, Kairi," Riku called out, turning around to look up at the red-haired girl standing on the pier. "You'll have to take Pence and Olette's presents in _your _boat. It's narrow enough for them."

Kairi nodded down at Riku before turning to Pence and Olette, who were both nodding at the same time to her. The black-haired boy and brunette-haired girl turned to look back down at Riku, seeing that he was already jumping across to the other boat, which they could see was much narrower than the one carrying his and Hayner's presents. Understanding that this was Kairi's boat, Pence and Olette held out their presents down towards Riku, who was already reaching out to take them. As both of the presents were small enough to hold in one hand, Riku took them both in each of his. He walked over to the rear of Kairi's boat, placing Pence and Olette's down side by side.

As he turned around to jump back into his boat, Risu noticed something sitting on the base of Kairi's. He looked down at it curiously before taking it in his hand, holding it up with a grin for Kairi to see. "Is this _your_ present, Kairi?"

"Yeah, it is," Kairi answered, grinning down softly towards what Riku was holding, which was what she planned to give to Sora. She did not notice the surprised expressions on Hayner, Pence and Olette's faces. The three of them were wondering what Kairi had hidden beneath the red wrapping paper.

Still grinning, Riku turned around to place Kairi's present on top of Olette's. He quickly spun around again to look back up at his friends on the pier. "Hayner, you're gonna come with me on _my_ boat. Pence and Olette, you're gonna have to go on Kairi's."

Hearing Riku's orders, Hayner nodded and bent his legs, taking a leap off the pier and landing on his feet in Riku's boat. As the silver-haired boy jumped out of Kairi's and joined the boy his age in his own boat, Pence turned around on the pier and took a few steps backwards, taking hold of the top sides of the ladder, which he started to climb down. Olette stayed at Kairi's side and watched him make his way steadily down the ladder until there was enough space between him and the top for her to follow him down. She quickly took hold of its sides and placed her feet onto the top rung, beginning to follow her friend down towards Kairi's boat.

The red-haired girl patiently watched her friends climb down the ladder, noticing that Pence had already reached the bottom. Seeing that Kairi's boat was a few centimetres away to his left, the fifteen-year old boy lifted his left foot off the rung his was standing on, stretching his leg towards the boat. Watched also by Hayner, who was sitting in front of the two presents in Riku's boat which was now being untied from the pier by the silver-haired boy, Pence managed to get off the ladder and found himself standing in Kairi's boat. He looked down to see that an oar was beside each of his feet. Taking care not to stand on or trip over them, he walked towards the rear of the boat where the presents were and turned around to sit down in front of them – instantly seeing that Olette had already climbed over into the boat and was sitting down in front of them.

Kairi quickly made her way down the ladder and climbed into her boat. She started to quickly untie the knot that was around the front of her boat, taking a quick glance around at her friends. Riku had already untied his boat from the pier and was watching her, waiting for her to be ready to row away. Hayner, Pence and Olette were gazing around the blue water that surrounded the island in amazement. Their expressions told Kairi that they were probably looking forward to travelling in a boat across the sea from one island to another. Happy that she and Riku could be the ones to give them such a ride, Kairi smiled softly as she looked back down at the rope which she was untying from the boat, seeing that it was just coming free. She picked up the two oars that were on each side of her and the two friends she was taking to the main island, lowering them down out of the boat so that their blades were in the water.

As she started to row backwards away from the pier, Kairi quickly looked over her left shoulder to see where she was going through the sea. The first thing she saw was that Olette was looking over to the right. At first, Kairi thought she was gazing at the horizon, but when she turned to the right herself, she saw that the brown-haired girl was actually looking towards Hayner, who was looking back at her with wide eyes as Riku rowed his boat backwards alongside them. Kairi could tell they wanted to hold each other's hands, which they would have been able to if they had been asked to sit in the same boat. The two of them gazed longingly at each other, neither of them noticed the wide, knowing grin on Pence's face, which Kairi could clearly see, to her amusement, as she looked back again. Riku continued to row his boat forcefully without looking around at his friends. He was feeling confused as to why they were all suddenly silent.

Giggling softly to herself, Kairi turned away from them to see how far away from the pier she had rowed. They were just passing the curve on the island, so she stopped rowing with her left hand, beginning to row forward with her right hand. The boat started to rotate to port. The girl and her two friends sitting behind her saw the curve on the small island and the hillside full of trees they were about to row past straightforward. They were going to arrive at the main island in a shorter pace of time, which they would not have been able to do if Kairi had chosen to row backwards for the entire journey through the sea.

Kairi began to row forward, turning to look over her shoulder again just to see how Riku was doing. The silver-haired boy was still turning his boat around, although he would have no trouble being only a few yards behind Kairi's boat. A small smile on her face, Kairi peered past the two extra people in her boat to see the presents for Sora sitting at the rear, hers on top of Olette's. Kairi looked forward, continuing to row as her boat floated smoothly past the green hillside on the smaller island. She knew she would have to keep glancing back at the presents during their short journey to the main island, making sure that none of them would fall into the water.

* * *

Sora gazed miserably out through the windshield of his mother's parked car, which faced the gloomy-looking hospital. The brickwork was as grey at it had been the last time he had visited the building. Some of the scaffolding had been taken down, but the left side did not look as though it was in any better condition. The boy let off a depressed sigh. He really did not want to spend his birthday in the crumbling building ahead of him, going through surgery.

"Are you ready yet, Sora?" Nikkou asked patiently, her hands still on the steering wheel. She was looking worriedly at his son, seeing the misery all over his face. She was feeling devastated herself, as she had never wanted her son to go to hospital on his birthday.

Giving a small nod without turning to his mother, Sora took off his seatbelt, which he had left on. He pulled on the door handle, pushing the door open before stepping out of the car. While he let the door swing shut by itself, Nikkou pulled the ignition key out of its socket before opening her own door. After she climbed out of the car, she closed the door gently, locking it with her keys, which she placed inside her pocket.

"Let's go in, Mom," Sora murmured quietly, looking down at the ground with sad eyes. He started to walk towards the hospital without looking up at it. The sight of the building made him feel worse. He did not think he would have the nerve to enter it if he gazed at it any longer. Nikkou silently followed her son, hoping he would be able to cheer up later on in the day.

They walked through the double doors, entering the white and bleak atmosphere of the hospital. They approached the receptionist desk, behind which stood the same blonde-haired receptionist that had been there when Sora and Nikkou had last visited the hospital. She was wearing her white coat over her pink blouse again, but was no longer wearing lipstick.

Looking up from her work on the desk, the receptionist blinked at the sight of Sora and Nikkou, recognising the two of them. "Sora, right?"

As the mother and son stood in front of the desk before the receptionist, Nikkou gave a small nod. "He has surgery today."

The receptionist nodded back, having known that Sora would be returning to the hospital since the day he left. Looking down again, she ran her finger over the list of names and times that had been printed in black ink on the timetable sheet in front of her. She managed to spot Sora's name, which had been printed near the bottom, next to where the scheduled time for his surgery was.

Knowing that Sora would be going through his surgery at eleven o'clock, the receptionist glanced at a small, analogue clock that was sitting on her desk, facing her. The time had just gone quarter to eleven. The receptionist looked up at Nikkou and Sora. "You're still a bit early. Please go into the waiting room, then Doctor Mizu will call you when he is ready for you."

Leaving the receptionist's desk behind them, Nikkou and Sora stepped into the waiting room. Most of the many chairs were empty, as not as many people were waiting in the room. They walked over to the nearest chairs, taking them for themselves. The mother and son looked nervously at each other before quickly turning away.

Sora stared blankly into space. He was silently wondering in fear how long the slowly dragging time would last before the cancer cells would eventually be out of his arm – whether or not they had spread.

* * *

"That house is Sora's," Kairi explained to Hayner, Pence and Olette, pointing to Sora's house as she led her group of friends down the street where she and the sixteen-year old, brunette-haired boy lived. They had left the boats on the beach of the main island when they had arrived there, but none of them had forgotten to take their presents to Sora with them.

Hayner squinted as he and the others followed Kairi. He was looking in the direction of Sora's house. "There are some kids on the path. Are they friends of Sora's?"

Walking along the sidewalk, Kairi looked towards the front garden of Sora's house. She could see Tidus, Wakka and Selphie standing there, facing the house. She smiled softly as she looked back at Hayner. "Yeah, they are friends of ours. They're gonna help us with the surprise, too. I think you three will like them."

Kairi continued to lead her group of friends along the sidewalk until they stopped outside Sora's house. As they walked together through the gateway, Tidus, Wakka and Selphie turned towards them. They were puzzled to see the residents from Twilight Town, having never seen them before, but they quickly turned away from them to grin excitedly at Kairi and Riku.

"Hey, Kairi!" Wakka exclaimed happily to the red-haired girl. He was holding up a large present in yellow wrapping paper in both of his hands. "You're here!"

"We went to your house, but you weren't there," Tidus told her as she walked past him to stand on the doorstep. He was holding a present the same size as Wakka's, wrapped up in dark red paper. "So we decided to wait out here."

"Are we gonna prepare Sora's surprise now?" Selphie squealed in a high-pitched voice, a wide smile on her face. In her excitement, she was shaking the present she was holding, which had been completely covered up in light blue paper.

Giggling, Kairi turned around on the doorstep, nodding to the fourteen-year old girl. She glanced at the present Selphie was holding, knowing what it was, before gesturing towards Hayner, Pence and Olette. "We've brought some friends from Twilight Town. They're gonna be help us with the surprise."

"You're Kairi's friends from Twilight Town?" Selphie cried to the teenagers who had arrived on Destiny Islands for the first time. Her excitement, which had been huge as soon as she had woken up that morning, was growing rabidly. "Kairi told me about you all! I'm Selphie!"

"And I'm Tidus," the fourteen-year old boy said politely, standing alongside Selphie with a smile on his face towards the residents from Twilight Town. "Selphie told me about you when she said about how she wanted to go to your world."

"She told me the same," Wakka added, standing where he was and also smiling. "I'm Wakka."

"You wanna visit our world, do you?" Pence grinned down at Selphie. "Well, we think your world is really awesome. I'm Pence."

"I'm Olette, and this is Hayner," Olette smiled softly, gesturing towards the blond-haired boy from her world while looking at the three teenagers who she had never met before. "It's really nice to meet you all."

Riku walked past them all to stand near Kairi, holding onto his cookery book and present to Sora. He looked over his shoulder towards the group of six before turning to grin at the red-haired girl. She grinned back, taking the key which Nikkou had cut for her out of the pouch with her left hand, still holding her present and envelope in her right hand. She unlocked the door, which she pushed open as she took her key out of the lock, stepping into the house. The others followed her inside, the door being elbowed shut by Hayner, who was the last one to enter the house. He stood alongside where Olette and Pence were standing, looking curiously around the lounge.

Tidus spotted the folded piece of paper Nikkou had left on the arm of the couch. He raised his left arm to point towards it. "I think we've been left instructions or something."

Looking towards where Tidus was pointing, Kairi saw the piece of paper. She gave a nod, stepping towards the arm of the couch as she placed the key back inside her pouch. She picked up the piece of paper in her left hand and unfolded it, immediately seeing that Nikkou had written on it.

_All the things you need are in the kitchen cupboard and the refrigerator. I hope you'll be able to get it all done by the time Sora and I arrive home._

_Thank you,_

_Nikkou_

As soon as she had finished reading, Kairi instantly turned towards the kitchen doorway. Dropping the piece of paper back onto the couch, she slowly passed through the doorway, looking at the floor cupboard. She was surprised that some of the items they needed was being kept in a place where plates and cutlery was usually kept, but she guessed it was probably the best hiding place to prevent what was being kept inside from being found by Sora.

Taking hold of the cupboard's door handle, Kairi pulled the door open – to find three presents that had been beautifully wrapped up in gold wrapping paper. Two of them were quite large while the third one was small, and they were all shaped differently. Kairi was amazed by the sight of all three of them. On top of one of the larger presents, she saw two small, plastic bags that were transparent, along with a roll of sticky tape. One of the bags contained brightly-coloured balloons whereas the other one contained birthday banners that had been folded up.

Kairi took two of the larger presents out of the cupboard, balancing one on top of the other and placing them on the kitchen floor. Grabbing the smallest present, she put it on top of the large present that was balancing on top of the other one, then placed the two plastic bags that contained the balloons and banners next to the smaller present. After adding the roll of sticky tape and her own present to Sora to the pile, Kairi took hold of the large present at the bottom, lifting it up carefully to make sure the pile would not tumble to the floor. Slowly, she carried the pile into the living room.

The others were still standing in the same positions they had stopped in after entering the house, although they had placed the presents they had been carrying down in front of them and onto the wooden floor. All of their eyes locked onto the presents Kairi was carrying in from the kitchen as she entered the room.

She placed the presents down onto the floor before picking up the bag of balloons, clearing her throat. "I need you all to help me set these things up, please. Who would like to blow up the balloons?"

"I will!" Selphie cried ecstatically, taking a few steps towards Kairi, gazing at the bag of balloons. "I'd like to do that!"

"I'd like to do it, too," Olette added with a smile. "Selphie and I could both do it."

Pleased, Kairi threw the bag towards Selphie, who managed to catch it in mid-air. The red-haired girl took hold of the bag of banners, holding them up as she turned towards the boys. "Would any of you like to put up the banners?"

Tidus stepped forward, liking the sound of the task Kairi was offering. "I can do it."

"I'll help Tidus put them up," Hayner put in, walking towards Kairi. "It won't be long before you see them all around the room."

Kairi smiled at Hayner as she handed him the bag. As the blond-haired boy walked away from her, she looked towards where Pence and Wakka were standing with Riku. "Would you two set out the presents, please? They have to neatly fill the room."

Pence and Wakka nodded towards Kairi before turning to each other, grinning widely. They were pleased to have the task of setting out the presents. They picked up their own gifts to Sora, starting to wonder where would be a good part of the lounge to place them.

As the others began their tasks, Riku walked towards where Kairi was standing. He held up the cookery book in his right hand, nodding towards the kitchen doorway. "We'd better get on with our own tasks in the kitchen."

Nodding in agreement, Kairi led Riku through the kitchen doorway. She walked towards the refrigerator, knowing what they needed was inside. "Do you think Nikkou has enough things for us both? I mean, I didn't tell her about your task."

Riku stood alongside Kairi, taking hold of the refrigerator's door handle with a firm grip of his left hand. He pulled it open – and the two of them shared an amazed gasp at the sight of the many items inside the refrigerator. Crammed onto the shelves were several tubs of butter, plastic bottles of milk, egg boxes and squeezable bottles of vanilla icing.

Remembering that there were other ingredients they needed for the recipes they were going to bake, Kairi looked towards the cupboard. Wondering if the rest of the items they needed were inside it, she walked over to it before pulling its door open. As she had guessed, inside were several bags of sugar and flour, tubs of baking powder and some boxes of cocoa powder, as well as a baking tray. The reason why Kairi had not seen them when she had first looked in the cupboard was because they had been hidden behind the two large presents.

Riku gave a grin of humour when he saw the amount of ingredients inside the cupboard. "I think Nikkou has certainly got more than enough ingredients for both of our recipes, Kairi."

Kairi took one of each of the containers that carried the ingredients they needed out of the cupboard. She placed them on the worktop, spotting the baking instruments that Nikkou had placed there earlier that day. She took the baking tray out of the cupboard before closing the door. Placing the tray near the ingredients she had taken out of the cupboard, she pulled the baking instruments towards her before turning to Riku, who was taking the containers for the rest of the ingredients they needed out of the refrigerator while holding onto his cookery book.

After he had taken out all of the ingredients they needed, Riku carried them in his arms - taking care not to drop them – over to the worktop. He dropped the ingredients he had taken from the refrigerator next to the ones Kairi had taken out of the cupboard, keeping the book in his hand. His eyes quickly ran over them. He was looking forward to making a start on putting the ingredients together to make the recipe he was going to follow.

Kairi walked over to the refrigerator to push its door shut. She turned to Riku, seeing that he had all of the ingredients ready. "You can make yours before me. Yours will probably be quicker, then I can use what time we have left to make mine."

Giving a nod towards Kairi, Riku placed his book onto the worktop before walking over to the kitchen sink. He turned on the hot water tap, letting the water gush out all over his hands. A bottle of hand soap was sitting next to the sink. He held his right hand under it and pressed down on the nozzle with his left hand. Liquid hand soap was squeezed out through the nozzle and onto his right hand, which he rubbed with his left hand, spreading the soap over them both before washing them under the tap again. Making sure his hands were clean had to be done before starting work on the recipe.

Once all of the soap had been washed off both of his hands, Riku turned off the tap, making sure no water was dripping out. He picked up a tea towel that had been lying near the sink, folded up neatly. He used to thoroughly dry his hands, placing it back onto the worktop once he was sure not a drop of water was left on either of them.

Picking up his cookery book in his right hand, Riku flipped it open to the contents page. His eyes ran over the names of recipes that were listed, soon spotting the one he was going to follow. He turned to the page it was explained on, placing the open book onto the counter before turning to the ingredients and baking instruments to start work on what Kairi wanted him to make.

* * *

"Sora!"

The nervous sixteen-year old boy, hearing his name being called, looked up worriedly from the floor of the waiting room. He turned to his mother, who was facing him, looking just as afraid as he was. They turned towards the doorway that was at the back of the room, seeing Doctor Mizu standing there. The employee who had diagnosed Sora's cancer was wearing his white uniform again, along with his pair of round glasses.

Nikkou and Sora hesitantly got to their feet before walking towards where Mizu was standing. He looked at them both, deciding not to smile. Turning around on the spot, he pointed towards the long corridor he was about to lead them down.

Mizu passed through the doorway, heading down the corridor. Sora and Nikkou followed him, not saying a word. They were both hoping the surgery would not take long, but neither of them knew how long it would last. The two of them were feeling too nervous of ask Mizu the question that was on their minds.

On the right of the corridor was a long staircase, which Mizu turned towards. He began to walk up it, looking towards the door at the top, made of brown wood that was rotten. Hearing Sora and Nikkou's footsteps behind him as they followed him up the stairs, he glanced over his shoulder at the boy. "Today's your birthday, isn't it, Sora?"

"Yeah, it is." Sora looked down at the stairs he was walking up. He did not believe what he was saying was true. The day did not feel like his birthday at all.

"Happy birthday."

Reaching the top of the stairs, Mizu placed his hand on the rotten wood of the door. He pushed it open, walking past it while holding it open for the mother and son.

Looking up as he walked past the wooden door, Sora found himself in another long corridor, which was much thinner than the first one he had walked down. The walls were painted white, like the rest of the rooms he had entered, but had fewer cracks. Turning to his right, Sora saw three chairs made of blue plastic standing nearby, up against the wall in the corridor that was on his right. The chairs were facing a pair of steel doors that had been built into the left wall, a small window built on each of them.

Mizu raised his left arm to point to the double doors. "That's the operating room. You'll be going in there, Sora, then we can do the surgery. Your mother will have to wait out here, but you'll be free to leave the room once we've gotten rid of the cancer cells in your arm."

Nikkou had her eyes fixed to the double doors, feeling even more afraid at the fact that her son was about to step through them, neither of them knowing when he would be coming back out. She lowered her head to look down at her son, who was gazing up at her in concern for her. Not wanting him to be, she smiled nervously at him as she walked over to the chairs to sit down in one. "I'll be okay, Sora. You go on in. I'll be out here."

Sora turned away from his mother to stare at the double doors, seeing Mizu walk past him to push open the one on the right. The first thing he saw inside was the long, blue operating bed that stood in the middle of the room on a single, metal leg. Two large, circular lights hung from the room's white ceiling, looming over the bed. The four white walls in the room had no cracks, but the wall on the right had lots of computers and strange-looking electrical equipment against it. Sora had no idea what the equipment was to be used for.

Muzi patiently held the door open as he stood in the room, waiting for Sora to follow him inside. "Come on, Sora."

Sora glanced at the doctor before looking over his shoulder at his mother, who was still putting on a smile to try to make him feel assured. Looking back into the room, Sora stepped nervously inside. Mizu let the door swing shut, leaving Nikkou out in the corridor on her own.

She dropped the smile immediately and looked down at the floor, beginning her long waiting by letting off a sad sigh.

* * *

**So now you know what Sora's surprise is. :P This chapter has the highest number of canon characters, and the same will apply to the next chapter. I have a lot to include in it, but I hope it won't take me long to write.**


	42. Fabulous Birthday

**Finally! I've managed to get this chapter done! Sorry, guys. I know it's been quite a wait for this one. :( It took a while to get written, and I sure hope it's okay. This chapter was very hard to write.**

* * *

Riku was standing in front of the kitchen worktop, looking down at what he had just finished baking. He sniffed the sweet smell that was being given off, a smile on his face. It was the second time in his life he had baked something for Sora, but he was soon going to get a chance to taste it himself. The first time he had baked something for his best friends, he had been told he had done a great job. He was hoping he had now done a job that was just as good.

Kairi stood alongside the silver-haired boy, gazing towards where he was looking down on the worktop. She grinned widely when she saw what the boy had just finished baking. She couldn't wait for Sora to see them. "They look just as pretty as the ones you first made for us, Riku."

On the worktop, sitting in front of Riku, was a plate full of ten freshly-baked chocolate cupcakes. Since the cookery book he had used was identical to the one he had used to bake cupcakes for Sora and Kairi the first time, he found it easy to follow the recipe and do exactly what he had done when they were at Disney Castle. Most of the cupcakes looked identical to the ones he had first made. They were made entirely of chocolate sponge, their tops covered in chocolate icing. The only difference from the first batch was that none of them had the letter 'K' written on top of them in vanilla icing. All ten of them had the letter 'S', as Kairi had ordered Riku to do.

Looking up from the cupcakes, Riku turned to Kairi, grinning. "I'm glad you like the look of them, Kairi. I hope they'll taste just as nicely as you thought the first lot did."

"I bet they will!" Kairi walked over to the kitchen sink. She turned on the hot water tap to wash her hands. "You'll have to try one of them. You'll realize what a great baker you are."

Riku chuckled, picking up the plate of cupcakes. Turning towards the table, he walked over to the table to place the plate down onto it. He looked at the cupcakes in satisfaction for a few seconds before stepping away from the table, turning towards Kairi. "I'm gonna see how the others are getting on, then I'll start putting the rest of the food onto plates. Are you gonna make a start on the recipe _you_ want to prepare?"

Kairi gave a nod as she turned off the tap. As Riku strode past her to walk through the doorway to the lounge, she picked up the tea towel that was lying nearby, using it to dry her hands. After neatly folding it up and placing it back onto the worktop, she walked over to where Riku had been working. Everything he had used was lying where he had left them. An egg was now missing from the egg box, there was less flour, sugar, butter, cocoa powder, baking powder and milk in their containers, the chocolate bar was now out of its wrapper and much shorter while the electric whisk, measuring cup, plastic bowl and sifter were lying nearby, all used and unclean.

Picking up the plastic bowl, Kairi walked back over to the sink. She turned on the hot water tap, holding the bowl under so that the hot water that was rushing out could wash away the sticky chocolate batter that was clinging to the sides. As soon as the baking instruments would be clean, she would be able to start putting together the recipe she wanted to do herself. Time was beginning to run short, however, and she was hoping she would be able to finish her baking by the time Sora would arrive home.

* * *

Nikkou was still sitting in one of the chairs outside the operating room, looking down nervously at the floor of the hospital corridor. She could hear Mizu's voice mumbling behind the doors of the operating room, but could not make out what he was saying. Her son's voice could not be heard, which caused her to worry. How Sora was feeling inside the room, she could not tell. Even though he was going to be rid of the cancer cells, she knew that going through an operation for such a terrible condition was not how her son wanted to spend his birthday.

One of the doors to the operating room was pushed open. Her ears perking up at the sound of it, Nikkou looked up quickly. Her worried eyes widened slightly at the sight of Sora standing in the doorway. A blank expression was on his face as he gazed at his mother, holding open the door on his left.

Slowly rising to her feet, Nikkou took a few steps towards her son. Her mouth was hanging open. She stood in front of her son, her hands trembling. "Sora…is the operation finished?"

Sora nodded, his expression remaining the same. He removed his left hand from the door, letting it fall against his shoulder to be held open. Rolling up his right sleeve, he showed Nikkou his upper-right arm. Where the ugly, red lump had been was now covered by a small, white dressing, covering the area where Mizu had been operating.

The doctor stood behind Sora, looking up at the worried Nikkou. "We've managed to complete the operation. I've taken out all of the cancer cells in Sora's arm and applied some dressing. It will be removed after about five days, but I'm afraid Sora will be left with a scar."

Sora stepped away from the doorway as Mizu put his hand out to hold the left door open. The boy let go of his right sleeve, letting it unroll, as he looked up sadly at his mother. She gazed back at him, looking just as miserable, as Mizu walked past them and pulled open the wooden door that led to the staircase. He stood where he was, holding the door open for the mother and son to walk through.

Nikkou led Sora through the doorway, beginning to walk down the stairs. She stared down at her feet in misery, but quickly looked up as Mize raced past them. The doctor seemed to want to be the one to lead them to the bottom of the staircase.

The brown-haired woman sighed as she and her son followed Mizu at a slow pace. "What happens now?"

"You'll have to come back at the same time in five days," Mizu explained, reaching the foot of the staircase, which he stepped off. "I will be able to remove the dressing from Sora's arm. The results of the surgery will be confirmed in seven days from now. I'd like you to come at the same time for that, too."

Sora looked up in fright as he stepped off the bottom step, his blue eyes widening. _That's how long I've possibly got left? _he thought in horror. _Seven days? I was told I probably had two weeks left if the cancer is terminal – and now one week is gone! I'll defiantly spend this other one with Kairi and Mom as much as I can!_

Beginning to walk down the corridor after Mizu, Sora looked up at is mother, who was walking a few steps ahead of him. She was looking straight ahead, so he could not see the frightened expression on her face. He could tell she was heartbroken, however, which made look down at the floor he was walking slowly along in shame.

Mizu stopped at the end of the corridor, just outside the archway that led to the waiting room. He turned to look at Nikkou and Sora as they walked past him, stepping into the waiting room without looking back at him. He raised a hand, waving towards them as they walked together towards the door that led out of the waiting room and to reception. "Bye, Sora. Bye, Nikkou. I'll see you both in five days."

Nikkou and Sora did not answer as they left the waiting room, walking past the receptionist desk. They did not even turn to the receptionist (who was looking at them with concern), choosing instead to pass through the double doors and step out of the hospital as quickly as they could.

Looking up from the ground as she walked with her son away from the building, Nikkou immediately spotted her car amongst the other vehicles in the parking lot. She glanced at Sora as they made their way towards it, noticing he was still looking down at his feet while walking. She decided she was going to drive along a different route on their way back to their house, rather than the one they had used to travel to the hospital. A slightly longer journey would give Kairi more time to prepare the surprise and make sure it would be ready.

In spite of her son going through surgery on his birthday, Nikkou hoped Sora would be able to smile as soon as they arrived back at their house.

* * *

Kairi reached out with her left hand, picking a squeezable bottle of vanilla icing up off the kitchen worktop. She gave it a firm squeeze as she looked down at the large cake that stood on the plate in front of her. It was round and made of chocolate sponge, which was covered entirely in the chocolate icing Kairi had made with some of the chocolate bars. Sitting on the draining board was the icing spreader she had used, having found it in the cupboard. All of the runny chocolate it had been covered in while she working had just been washed off.

Sniffing the cake, liking the sweet smell it was giving off, Kairi held the bottle in both of her hands, turning it so that the nozzle was pointing down towards the flat, circular top of the cake. She started to squeeze the bottle, writing a message with the white icing that was oozing its way out of the bottle and onto the cake.

Riku was standing next to the table, on which sat several paper plates he had just neatly laid out. They each contained several different food items, such as potato chips, cookies, cheese, chocolate bars, chicken legs, sandwiches with various fillings and the silver-haired boy's cupcakes. On the left side of the table, lined up in a row, were nine plastic cups, all filled with orange juice. Most of the party food and the orange juice had been kept in the fridge and cupboard, although Riku and Kairi had not known when they had first looked, due to how many ingredients Nikkou had been keeping in the two storage places for the birthday cake.

After taking a good look at the table, making sure the plates and cups were neatly laid out, Riku stepped over to the worktop, standing next to Kairi. He smiled when he saw what she had just finished writing on top of the cake with the use of the icing.

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SORA._

Kairi looked up from the cake and turned to Riku, grinning softly when she saw the smile on his face. "Do you think Sora will like this cake, Riku?"

"I'm sure he'll love it!" Riku cried with a nod, the smile on his face widening. "You'll have to remember to tell him that _you _baked it, not me! He'll love it even more!"

Looking back down at the cake with the grin still on her face, Kairi gently picked up the plate it was sitting on. She carried it carefully to the table, placing it down on the small amount of space that was available amongst the paper plates full of food. She rotated the plate on its spot so that anyone who entered the kitchen from the lounge would be able to easily read the icing message she had written on the cake as soon as they walked through the doorway.

The ingredients and backing instruments Kairi had been using were still sitting on the kitchen worktop. The inside of the plastic bowl was completely covered in chocolate batter again. Riku picked it up, carrying it over to the sink. He held it under the tap, which he turned on, filling the batter-coated inside of the bowl with hot water. "I'll clean all this up for you. You go see how the others are doing. I think we're all done."

Turning away from the table, Kairi walked past Riku and stepped through the kitchen doorway - letting off an amazed gasp as soon as she entered the lounge. She looked all around with wide eyes, her jaw dropping as she made her way to the centre of the room.

The birthday banners were hanging from all four walls of the room, the message 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' written across them in bright, colourful capital letters. Some of the balloons – which had all been blown up - were taped to each end of the banners in pairs, while the rest were left hanging from different spots on the walls. The presents had been neatly arranged into two piles beside the right wall. As Kairi looked down at them, she immediately spotted her present for Sora, sitting all by itself on the top of one pile, her card lying next to it.

Kairi turned to her friends, who were all standing together beside the front door. They were all smiling at her, wondering what she thought of how they had done their jobs.

"Have we done okay, Kairi?" Hayner asked, hoping the banners he – along with Tidus – had put up were hanging well enough for him to feel proud of

A soft grin appeared on the red-haired girl's face as she looked around the room again, remaining standing in the centre of the room. "You've all done _great_, guys! I'm really amazed by what you've done! The room looks wonderful! Well done!"

The others all turned to each other, the smiles on their faces changing to wide grins. They were all very happy that Kairi thought they had done well, which meant that the boy who it was all for would most likely be very happy as soon as he saw what they had done for him.

Riku stepped into the lounge from the kitchen, having just finished cleaning up the baking instruments and putting them away. His blue eyes widened with surprise when he saw how beautifully decorated the room was. He had not expected the others to do such an impressive job. Not knowing that they were all waiting for him to compliment their work, he just stood where he was, looking admiringly around the room in silence.

As Kairi took another look around the room from where she was standing, her ears perked up at the sound of a car's engine, coming from outside. Wondering if the car that was coming was Nikkou's, she turned towards the front window, stepping towards it as she looked through it. She turned to her right – which was the direction the sound was coming from – and her eyes immediately widened. As she had guessed, Nikkou's car was making its way down the street. It was still a fair distance away from the house, but was driving at a quick speed, soon to pull into the driveway.

Kairi quickly grabbed hold of the lime, fabric curtains, which were hanging from the rail above the top of the window, drawing them together as fast as she could. The others all looked to her in surprise, wondering why she was drawing the curtains and acting urgently. She turned back to them, both panic and excitement visible in her expression. "Sora is about to come in!"

Realizing it was time to spring the surprise on the boy, everyone quickly rushed to the centre of the room. They all stood together, turning towards the front door. All of them were feeling excited at the thought of Sora finally finding out his surprise. Kairi stood in front of them, listening to the sound of the car's engine getting louder. She hoped the boy would like what she had been keeping secret from him for four days.

* * *

Nikkou steered her car slowly onto the driveway, taking a glance towards the lounge window. She had noticed that the pair of curtains that she usually drew back on a bright day had been drawn across the window. Despite not knowing what the lounge was now looking like, she knew the reason why nobody was being allowed to see through the window – even though the teenagers inside the house were only keeping it all from one person, rather than all of the residents on the island. She was looking forward to seeing the jobs Kairi and the others had been doing.

As the car finally came to a stop, its engine being switched off by Nikkou, Sora, who had been spending most of the journey gazing blankly out of the window on his side, looked up towards the house. The vacant expression on his face changed to one of confusion, as he noticed the curtains were drawn across the window. He was sure they had been drawn back when they had left the house. He took off his seatbelt without looking away from the curtains, shooting a small frown.

After taking off her own seatbelt, Nikkou opened the door to her seat. She stepped out of the car, holding her door open as she looked at Sora. "Come on, Sora."

Sighing, Sora looked away from the curtains, forgetting about them quickly as he opened the car door on his left side. Stepping out of the car, he gave the door a gentle push, letting it swing shut. He stood beside the car, looking down the street towards Kairi's house. Even though his birthday was not as happy as he wanted it to be, he still wanted to spend the day with Kairi. He was unable, however, to think of a way they could both spend it, feeling as happy as each other.

"Go on in, Sora."

Hearing his mother give her order to him in an emotionless tone, Sora looked away from the direction of Kairi's house. He gazed towards the front door of his house, which his mother was standing near. Taking a few steps to stand in front of the door, he held up his left hand, taking hold of the handle – and pushed it down without meaning to. His eyes narrowed slightly, as he knew his mother had certainly locked the door before they had left. A hard frown on his face, Sora pushed the door open as he stepped into the house.

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SORA!_"

His head shooting up in fright at the sudden shouting which came from nearby, Sora's jaw dropped as he saw his friends standing together, beaming brightly at him. He gazed at them with wide eyes, managing to tear them away after a few seconds to look around the room. Unable to believe what was happening, he took in the banners and balloons that were hanging from the walls before setting his eyes on the two piles of presents. Sora was feeling both shocked and happy, realizing that everything that had been done was for him.

Nikkou stepped into the house after her son, letting off a gasp when she saw the decorations that filled the room. She stood on the spot, looking around the four walls of her lounge, pleased with what her son's friends had done. Reaching up with her right hand to push the front door shut behind her, she turned towards the group of teenagers that stood in the middle of them room. A soft grin of gratefulness appeared on her face. "The room looks wonderful. I'm very pleased with you all. Thank you all for doing this."

"We're glad you like it, Nikkou," Kairi replied, glancing towards the proud mother. She turned to Sora, stepping towards him as she shot him a soft grin. "And do _you_ like it, Sora?"

Sora looked down at Kairi, a wide grin on his face. He was sure she was behind it all. "I _love_ it, Kairi!"

The red-haired girl's cheeks turned pink as she gazed happily up at Sora, her grin widening. "This is what we've been keeping from you."

"Sorry we didn't tell you about it," Pence added, letting off a small chuckle. He was very pleased to have finally sprung the surprise on his friend. "It was not easy for us to keep a secret from you."

"But Kairi said it wouldn't be a surprise if we told you!" Selphie exclaimed gleefully, giggling and squealing in excitement.

"We're pleased you can finally enjoy your surprise, Sora," Riku said softly, stepping towards the boy he had been friends with since they were toddlers. He stood next to Kairi, giving Sora a small, cheerful smile.

Sora smiled back at Riku for a few seconds before looking down at Kairi. He gave her a wide, happy grin, thankful for her efforts to give him a wonderful surprise on his birthday. Looking up from her, he grinned at the rest of his friends, who were still standing together. "Thank you all."

Riku, with the smile still on his face, pointed towards the kitchen doorway. "We've got some food out on the table for everyone, Sora. Would you like to eat now?"

Giving a nod, Sora turned towards the kitchen doorway, liking the sound of food. He took a few steps across the wooden floor, wondering what was spread out on the kitchen table for him to eat.

Kairi suddenly ran ahead of him, to his surprise. She stood in front of the doorway, stopping the boy from entering the kitchen. Turning around on the spot, she faced him with a stern look. "You can't go into the kitchen yet, Sora."

Feeling even more confused. Sora stopped where he was. He looked at the girl in puzzlement, wondering why she was stopping him from getting some food which was for his own party. "Why's that, Kairi?"

"You'll find out." Kairi gave the boy an assuring smile before turning towards the others, who were gazing at her, looking just as confused as Sora. "You can all come in."

The others raced together towards the kitchen, all passing Sora. Nikkou, who had been standing beside the front door, still admiring the decorations on the four walls of the room, followed them towards the doorway. As they all entered the kitchen, Sora went to draw back the curtains that were still spread over the lounge window. He decided not to stand near the kitchen doorway in case he would hear something Kairi did not want him to.

Inside the kitchen, everyone was standing around the table, looking down with wide eyes at the cake Kairi had baked for Sora. Riku, despite having seen the cake when it had been taken out of the oven, was still very impressed as he gazed at it. Kairi was looking at it modestly while everyone else was eyeing it excitedly, looking forward to having a piece of it.

"That cake certainly looks beautiful," Olette exclaimed admiringly, pointing to the cake with her left hand.

"Thanks, Olette. I baked it myself," Kairi whispered quietly, not wanting Sora to hear anything of what was being said about the cake. She hoped he had not heard Olette's compliment towards her baking skills. "I need to somehow hide it, as I don't want Sora to see it until later."

"I've got a cake cover," Nikkou murmured as she stepped over to the kitchen cupboard, opening its door. "You did a wonderful job on that cake, Kairi."

The teenagers looked towards Nikkou as she pulled a round, plastic, turquoise cake cover out of the cupboard. She held it up in her right hand for them to see it, pushing the cupboard door shut with her left hand before walking over to the table. Everyone watched as the cover was placed over the cake, hiding it completely. They all knew they would see it again – as well as have a piece or two.

"Okay, Sora!" Kairi called cheerily as she turned towards the kitchen doorway. "You can come in now."

Sora raced excitedly into the kitchen - stopping when he saw the plates of food spread out on the table. He stood in between Kairi and Riku, not taking any notice of the round cake cover as he looked down with hungry eyes at all of the food that was visible. A wide grin appeared on his face. "All this food looks great! And I can see you made cupcakes again, Riku!"

"Yeah, and I prepared all of the rest of this food for you," Riku replied proudly, smiling at Sora. "I hope you'll like it all."

Sora glanced up at Riku, shooting him the grin on his face, before grabbing a paper plate that sat on top of a pile in one corner of the table. He began to fill his plate with some of the food from each of the plates that were spread around the table. Once he had placed his last food item (a cupcake) onto his plate, he carefully picked up one of the plastic cups that had been filled with orange juice with his free hand. He walked towards the kitchen doorway, leaving behind the table and the others, who had all grabbed a plate each to fill for themselves.

Entering the living room, Sora sat down on the left side of the couch. He placed his plastic cup down onto the wooden floor before picking up a sandwich from his plate. As he took a bite out of it, he looked towards the kitchen doorway. He smiled to see Kairi walk into the lounge, holding her own plate which she had filled with food, along with a cup of orange juice. She smiled back at him as she walked over to the couch, sitting on the boy's right side. The others strode into the lounge, each carrying a plastic cup and plate full of food. The couch, despite having been designed and made for a maximum of three people to sit on, had enough room for Tidus and Selphie together on the right side. Wakka sat down on the wooden floor near the right side of the couch while Riku sat in the centre of the room, grinning at Kairi and Sora as he placed his cup onto the floor. Hayner, Pence and Olette stood near the kitchen doorway, looking down at the plate of food in their hands. They did not know where to put their plastic cups so they could start eating.

Nikkou was the last person to enter the lounge. She was holding a wooden tray, having taken it out of the floor cupboard upon seeing through the doorway that the three teenagers who she had never met before were unable to eat and hold both their plates and cups at the same time. She stood next to where Hayner, Pence and Olette were grouped together, holding the tray out towards them. "You can put your drinks on here."

Smiling at Nikkou, the three residents from Twilight Town placed their plastic cups onto the tray, which the brown-haired woman placed on the floor beside the couch so that it would not be in the way of anyone. As she turned and walked into the kitchen to grab some food for herself, Hayner, Pence and Olette looked around at the others, who had already started to eat and drink. They picked up some food off their plates, beginning to eat. Everyone had decided that they were going to save the cupcake they each had on their plates for last.

Nikkou walked in from the kitchen, carrying a plate which contained a small amount of food, including the last of Riku's cupcakes. She stood near the Twilight Town residents, wanting to speak to them, since she had never met them before.

"This world you live in is really beautiful!" Olette exclaimed happily to Nikkou, turning towards her.

Looking towards the brown-haired fifteen-year old girl and her best friends, Nikkou smiled softly, remembering Sora telling her about how he had friends from another world. "So you aren't from around here, are you?"

"No, we come from a world where the sun is always setting," Hayner answered, stepping towards Nikkou. "Sora and Kairi came to visit us there, some time ago."

For a moment, Nikkou frowned in confusion. The thought of a world where its sun was always setting sounded strange to her. Having also heard Hayner explain about her son and the girl he loved going to the world, she turned towards Sora, giving him a small, worried look.

Sora looked up from his plate to gaze back at his mother, chewing the food that was in his mouth. He could tell she was going into her worrying moods, even though there was nothing about Twilight Town for her to panic about. He swallowed before giving her a smile. "You don't have to worry, Mom. Twilight Town is a great place to visit. As you can see, I made some friends while I was there."

"We're really happy to have them here," Kairi put in, smiling up towards the Twilight Town residents. She did not notice Sora turn towards her, grinning down at her. He was sure that along with everything else that had been prepared for his surprise, Kairi had been the one to make sure Hayner, Pence and Olette would come to Destiny Islands to be there for him.

Pence grinned happily at Kairi, pleased that she had invited him and his friends to the world she lived in. He turned towards Nikkou. "We're very pleased to be friends with Sora."

Nikkou smiled as she turned towards the black-haired boy. She was unable to tell him what he had said was very kind, as she was chewing on some potato chips. On the couch, Sora was looking up towards her – not noticing that everyone else was grinning in his direction.

"Sora is a really awesome guy!" Hayner expressed loudly, wanting everyone in the room to hear what he had to say what he had to say about the boy who had just turned sixteen. "We were really happy to meet him for the first time when he came to our world! He quickly became a great friend!"

"So we're very happy to have come all this way from our world to celebrate Sora's birthday," Olette added, keeping her voice at a much lower tone than Hayner's, as she felt he was being too loud, even though she was making sure to speak loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's been so much fun to arrange this surprise to make one great guy so happy."

Sora looked up with wide eyes towards the residents from Twilight Town, having heard every word they had said about them. A wide, happy grin appeared on his face, as he felt so moved by their words. Unable to say anything, even though he wanted to tell his friends who had just come to his world for him how thankful he was, he turned towards Kairi. The girl was grinning softly up at him. She agreed with every word Hayner, Pence and Olette had said about the boy she loved being great and awesome. A surprise on his birthday to make him happy was what he truly deserved.

"It's so brilliant for the rest of us to live on the same island as you, Sora," Tidus spoke up, jumping to his feet whilst still holding his paper plate full of food. He grinned widely towards Sora, who was now looking up from Kairi to grin back at him.

"We always enjoy the times when we catch you, Kairi and Riku at the beach," Wakka agreed, standing up from the floor. "It's always a lot of fun."

"And that's because you're such a fun guy, Sora!" Selphie cried happily, shouting much louder than Hayner, who was taken by surprise by her squealing voice.

"We had to throw you a party," Riku added, smiling towards Sora before taking a bite out of the last sandwich on his plate. All that was left on the plate was the cupcake he had taken for himself.

Kairi looked up at Sora with a soft smile, watching him look around at everyone who had just complimented him. She could he was feeling very happy, which she was very glad to see. "We all wanted you to have a great birthday," she told him quietly.

Turning towards Kairi, Sora grinned widely down at her. He had no doubt she was behind _everything _that had gone towards the surprise for him. Looking up from the smiling girl, he gazed around at all his friends. "I've had a _fabulous_ birthday. Thank you all for making it so wonderful for me."

The rest of the teenagers all grinned at Sora, pleased he was enjoying his birthday. They looked down at their plates, intending to start eating again. Nikkou grinned softly towards her son before turning to walk through the kitchen doorway.

Smiling to himself, Sora looked down at his plate. All that was left on it was a cookie and one of Riku's cupcakes. He picked up the cookie and shoved it into his mouth. Chewing on it for a few seconds, he swallowed it as he looked down at the cupcake. "Have you tried one of your cupcakes yet, Riku?"

The silver-haired boy was holding the cupcake that had been sitting on his plate in his right hand. He had been about to take a bite out of it when Sora had spoken to him. He turned towards his friend, shaking his head. "I'm just about to. I have no idea what something I baked myself tastes like."

Grinning, knowing Riku would enjoy the taste of what he had made, Sora raised the cupcake to his mouth. As he took a bite out of it, he closed his eyes as the taste of his friend's cupcakes came back to him, tasting just as wonderful as before. Opening his eyes, Sora saw that Riku had already bitten into his own cupcake, and from the wide smile on his face, he could tell he was enjoying it. Everyone else was watching them. Kairi was glad she had asked Riku to bake cupcakes again while the others were all wondering how well they tasted, which made them want to finish the rest of the food on their plates in a quicker amount of time.

Swallowing the amount of cake that was in his mouth, Sora smiled towards Riku. "I guess you like your own cupcakes, Riku."

Riku turned to Sora, giving him a nod before swallowing. "I think I've done a pretty good on these cupcakes – but there's something else that has been baked for you, Sora. Kairi made it for you all by herself."

Surprised by what he had heard, Sora's smile faded. He looked towards Kairi with a surprised expression, as he had not expected her to do any more for him than what he had already seen. The girl only grinned softly at him before getting to her feet. Sora watched her walk through the kitchen doorway, taking a small bite out of his half-eaten cupcake as he sat back in the couch. The others were all smiling towards him. They knew exactly what it was Kairi was now about to fetch for him.

In the kitchen, Kairi was grinning excitedly, for she could see that Nikkou had taken the cover off of the chocolate cake she had baked. Eight candles had been placed around the circular edges, and the message she had written with the use of the vanilla icing was clearly visible. Kairi looked up to see Nikkou holding a box of matches in her left hand while a match was in her right hand. She struck the match across the side of the box, which caused a small flame to start burning on its end.

Placing the box down onto the table, Nikkou carefully held the match so that its burning end was slightly facing downwards. Carefully, she lit each one of the wicks of the candles on the cake. As soon as all eight of them had a small flame flickering on their wicks, she held the match up to blow its flame out. She walked over to the sink to run some water over the burnt out match, turning towards Kairi to give her a nod, followed by a grin.

Understanding that Nikkou wanted her to carry the cake into the room, Kairi carefully took hold of the plate that the cake was sitting on. She rotated it on the table until the message looked upside down to her, which would mean Sora would be able to read it easily when she would hold it in front of him.

Gently lifting the plate off the table, Kairi carried it slowly past Nikkou, who was holding the candle under some cold water that was gushing out of the tap. The girl stepped through the doorway and into the lounge, turning towards where Sora was sitting. "Here's what I baked, Sora!"

Turning to Kairi as he placed his empty plate down onto the left arm of the couch, Sora's jaw dropped at the sight of the cake. His widened eyes followed it at Kairi walked across the room to stand in front of where he was sitting on the couch. She kneeled down to allow him to see the message she had written on the top. She smiled softly at him, looking forward to hearing what he had to say. Everybody else who was in the room also had their eyes on the cake. They were looking forward to tasting it.

"Do you like it, Sora?" Kairi asked in a soft, quiet voice. "I sure hope its okay."

Sora looked up from the cake, grinning widely and happily at Kairi. "The cake looks beautiful, Kairi! Thank you so much for baking it for me! You've done a brilliant job!"

Kairi grinned back, glad that Sora thought she had done well. She looked down at the cake she was holding, watching the flames flicker on the candles. "This is myfirst time baking a cake. I really wanted to bake one for you on your birthday."

"A cake baked for me - by _you_ – is a wonderful treat for my birthday!" Sora exclaimed excitedly, the grin on his face growing even wider. "I'm looking forward to tasting it!"

Chuckling softly, Kairi held the cake up even closer to Sora, wanting him to blow out the candles. Nikkou stepped into the room from the kitchen just in time to see her son blow out the flames on the candles with one puff. Kairi grinned even wider at while everyone else in the room clapped and cheered loudly for him.

After applauding for a little longer than the others had, Nikkou held out her hands towards Kairi. "I can take the cake for you. I'll start to cut it."

Smiling up at Nikkou, Kairi carefully stood up, turning towards the woman as she held the cake out. It was carefully taken from her hands before being carried into the kitchen by Nikkou. Kairi remained on her feet, smiling down at Sora, who was gazing in the direction of the doorway, which everyone else was also looking towards. They were thinking eagerly about the cake Kairi had baked. Hayner and Olette picked up the cupcakes on their half full plates, taking small bites out of them without looking at them. They were not taking much notice of the taste. The only person in the room who had not stopped thinking about the cupcakes was Riku, who was finishing off his own one, happily enjoying it. He decided that when he would arrive home from the party, he would bake another batch of cupcakes - all for him to enjoy by himself.

Kairi glanced towards the two piles of presents, seeing the one she had bought sitting on top of one pile, prepared and wrapped up. The card she had bought was still inside the envelope, lying next to the present. She turned to look down at Sora, smiling softly at him. "I'd like to give your present to you now."

Sora looked up at Kairi in disbelief, his jaw falling open. The girl had already done plenty for him to make his birthday happy – and now she was also giving him a present, too? Even though Sora had been disappointed to find no presents waiting for him when he had raced downstairs that morning, he had thought the surprise itself was the only present he would need on his birthday.

Turning away from the stunned boy, Kairi walked over to the two piles of presents, picking her own one up off the pile along with the envelope that contained her card. She looked down at it for a few seconds before turning back to Sora, seeing that he had stood up and taken a few steps towards her. She held the present out for him to take, smiling at him. "Happy birthday."

Slowly raising his right hand, Sora took the present and envelope from Kairi. He looked down at them with a small smile before placing the present under his left arm to hold. He took a quick look at his name on the envelope, which had been written by Kairi, then turned it over in his hands, tearing open the top to slide the card out. He held it in his right hand, grinning softly at the sight of the picture on the front, which showed the cartoon girl holding out a present to the boy, both of them standing underneath the yellow words that read, 'You're my Best Friend'.

Opening the card up, Sora saw Kairi's handwriting written inside the card. He excitedly started to read it.

_To Sora,_

_I really hope you have a wonderful birthday. It'll mean so much to me to see you smile, now that you have turned sixteen. I also hope you like the surprise we all prepared for you._

Sora looked up from the card towards Kairi, giving her a wide grin. He was hoping she knew by now that he loved the surprise she had worked so hard to prepare. Looking back down at the card, he saw the picture of the boy and girl hugging each other, underneath the words, 'Happy Birthday'. Spotting the rest of what Kairi had written at the bottom of the inside of the card, he proceeded to read on.

_Lots of love,_

_Kairi._

_XXX_

The boy let off a small sigh as he smiled happily down at the last sentence at the bottom of the card, which was followed by what was supposed to be symbolic for kisses. Kairi would always end what she would write on the birthday cards she sent to him over the years the same way. He was certain, however, that the words, 'Lots of love', did not actually mean she loved him, and he did not believe she wanted to give him a kiss, just because she had written three symbols for kisses at the end of her message. Sora was completely unaware that the girl who had sent him the card _did_ love him and wanted to give him a kiss, but was unable to do so, as she did not think he had the same feelings for her as she did for him.

Sora looked up from the card, grinning softly at Kairi. "Thanks for the card. It's really sweet."

Grinning back at Sora, Kairi watched him place the card and envelope onto the left arm of the couch, next to the empty plate he had been using to hold the food he had eaten. Her blue eyes were fixed onto the boy's right hand, which took hold of the present, pulling it out from under his left arm. His left hand started to tear the shiny, red wrapping paper from what was inside, letting it fall to the wooden floor. The grin on Kairi's face widened.

As soon as Sora pulled away the last bit of wrapping paper, he gazed at what was in his hand in a huge amount of surprise. He was facing the photograph of himself and Kairi standing together, side by side, his arm around her shoulders. Realizing it was inside a heart-shaped picture frame, his eyes widened. He had not been expecting a gift that was so beautiful. He looked up in astonishment towards Kairi, who just looked back at him, a small smile on her face.

Nikkou walked in from the kitchen, noticing that her son was holding something, although she could not see what it actually was, due to where she was standing. She looked away from it, noticing that everyone had moved from where they had been standing or sitting to see what her son was holding. Hayner, Pence and Olette were now standing near Selphie, who had just stood up to get a better look at the photograph. Although the four of them had seen the picture before, they were still stunned at the beauty of it, especially now that it had been developed and put inside a frame. Riku, Wakka and Tidus were standing on Sora's right, gazing over his shoulder to look down at the picture. Having not seen it before, they thought it looked very amazing.

Stepping away from the doorway to the kitchen, Nikkou stood beside Sora on his left. She looked down at the photograph inside the frame, her eyes widening at the sight of it. It looked very beautiful to her. "That's a lovely picture. Was it taken at the world where the sun always sets?"

Sora looked up at his mother, giving her a small nod before turning towards Kairi. He stared at her with a surprised expression still on his face. It was hard for him to believe that she had done so many wonderful things – just for him.

Kairi stepped forward, smiling softly up at Sora. "Do you like your present?"

Grinning gratefully at the girl, Sora placed the picture frame next to where the card, envelope and plate were sitting on the left arm of the couch. He pulled Kairi into a hug, reaching up with one hand to stroke her hair. "I love my present, Kairi – and I love everything else you've done for me, today. It has really made my day wonderful. Thank you so much for preparing this surprise to give me a happy birthday."

Kairi blushed as she reached up with her arms to wrap them around Sora's torso. A soft grin was on her face, as she was so delighted the boy she loved was feeling happy on his birthday. Her arrangements towards the surprise had worked as well as she had wanted them to, for everything that had been prepared had brought a smile to Sora's face, which was what she had been looking forward to seeing.

The two of them remained in each others' arms for a few minutes before they remembered they were not the only people in the room. They turned to face the other teenagers, who were all gazing at them, wide grins on their faces. Nikkou was smiling softly down at them. Sora glanced up in alarm at his mother before he and Kairi quickly pulled away from each other. They were both trembling, worrying over what the others would probably say. Sora's cheeks were turning red while Kairi's own blush was deepening.

Managing to stop himself from trembling, Sora looked towards the rest of the teenagers. "What are you all grinning at us for?"

The others all looked around at each other, feeling amused. They were all able to somehow agree to not say anything about Sora and Kairi's hug, as they did not want to say anything that would upset the boy on his birthday. There did not seem any need to say anything, as they all knew they were each thinking the same thought.

"Nothing, Sora," Riku lied, still grinning as he turned to face the boy who had just shared a hug with Kairi. "We're just very glad that you are having a happy birthday."

Smiling softly, Sora turned away from the grinning teenagers to look at Kairi. She had managed to stop herself from trembling, since nobody had said anything that would have embarrassed her. As she smiled back at the boy, she was unable to prevent herself from blushing even harder than before.

* * *

The party guests were getting ready to leave by the time the sun went down. The curtains in the lounge were still drawn back, showing how dark the street had become. Only the lamp which hung from the ceiling lit up the room. Nikkou was sitting on the couch, looking towards Sora and Kairi, who were both standing beside the front door. They wanted to wave off the rest of the guests. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie stood together in the middle of the room while Riku had walked over to where Hayner, Pence and Olette were standing, which was near the kitchen doorway again. All of the guests who were about to leave were each holding onto a napkin that displayed a pattern of colourful balloons. Each of the napkins kept the pieces of birthday cake they were taking home with them wrapped up neatly.

Sora grinned widely at the two groups of teenagers who were about to leave. "Thank you all so much for coming over. You've all given me a happy birthday."

"We're glad we've managed to do that, Sora," Tidus replied, taking a few steps towards the front door.

"And thanks for helping me prepare everything," Kairi added, smiling down at the boy with light brown hair before looking up to gaze around at the rest of her friends in the room.

"We've loved helping you, Kairi," Olette said, leading Hayner and Pence across the room to where Wakka and Selphie were standing. "We're also glad Sora has had a happy birthday."

Sora took hold of the door handle while he turned to Olette. He pulled it down before pushing the door gently, letting it swing open, as he smiled gratefully at the brown-haired fifteen-year old girl. "Thanks, Olette."

Kairi looked towards Riku, noticing he was still standing near the kitchen doorway. She hoped he would still be able to fly the Gummi Ship to Twilight Town, as he had told her that his journey during the morning had not been easy. "Will you be able to get Hayner, Pence and Olette home, Riku?"

"Yeah, I'll be able to," Riku answered, a wide grin appearing on his face. It looked like a grin of confidence, although it was really one of excitement, for he was looking forward to baking a batch of cupcakes for himself once he would arrive back from Twilight Town. He thought they would go very nicely with the piece of cake Nikkou had cut for him.

"We'll walk you to the pier," Wakka told Hayner, Pence and Olette as he and Selphie followed them towards the front door. "Then we'll make our own way home once you've left the islands."

"One day, we'll have to visit your world," Selphie giggled to the Twilight Town residents, thinking happily about her own idea. "I'd really love to do that."

Sora and Kairi stepped back as their friends made their way past them, all glancing at them both to smile at them. They stepped out onto the garden path, turning to look back at them. Riku raced through the doorway after them as they made their way along the path, stopping in the very middle, all holding their napkins that contained their pieces of cake.

"Happy birthday, Sora!" Hayner called cheerily, raising his hand to start waving madly.

"Thanks!" Sora yelled back, grinning widely as he waved to all of his departing friends. "Bye, all of you!"

Kairi started to wave along with Sora as Nikkou jumped up from the couch, walking across the room to stand behind them. She looked up at the group of teenagers who were walking down her path, all waving to her son and his best friend. Smiling and waving along with Sora and Kairi, she watched as they walked out through the gateway. They all turned away from the house to walk together down the dark sidewalk, making their way to the beach.

Sora pulled the door shut, looking down at the wooden floor as he started to think about the day. In spite of the day not starting the way he had wanted it to, followed by surgery for the serious illness he had, he had managed to enjoy his fabulous birthday. He knew Kairi had done so much, all to make sure the day would be wonderful for him.

Nikkou was grinning softly down at her son, knowing that he was having a few thoughts running through his mind. She turned to look down at Kairi, who glanced up at her, before pointing towards the staircase. "I'm going to have a look at Sora's cards."

Turning away from her son and the girl, Nikkou walked over to the staircase, proceeding to walk up it. Earlier that day, Sora had opened all of his cards and presents from the guests of the party, as well as from his mother and some that had been sent by a few relatives. The cards and presents had been moved into his room, and the wrapping paper and envelopes which he had torn had been tidied up. The balloons and banners remained on the walls, but the room looked very empty without the guests and the two piles of presents.

His thoughts still running through his head, Sora gazed up at Kairi with a smile, noticing she was looking up at the banners and balloons on the right wall. He pulled her into a hug, taking her by surprise. "Thanks for making my birthday so wonderful, Kairi."

The girl smiled softly as she gently hugged the boy back tightly. "It's okay, Sora. I'm glad you've enjoyed your birthday."

Reaching up with his right hand, Sora began to gently stroke Kairi's hair. He pulled away a little so that she could see the smile on his face. "I need to go and speak with Mom for a few minutes."

"What about?" Kairi looked up at Sora curiously, keeping her arms wrapped around him."

"Sorry, but I need to speak with Mom – in _private_," Sora snickered teasingly. He was thinking back to all the times he had been sent away so that Kairi could talk privately about the surprise arrangements (which he now knew was the reason why he had not been allowed to listen in on the conversations).

Understanding the joke, Kairi laughed as she let go of Sora. She watched him walk up the stairs before taking a few steps over to the lounge window to look out through it. She gazed at her reflection, noticing how happy she looked. It had been a very joyful day for her, as she had loved seeing Sora feeling so happy. She let off a soft sigh, looking down at her feet as she took a few steps back.

Hearing the boy's footsteps thumping against the wooden stairs again, Kairi turned around to see him already halfway down the staircase. He looked down at her, shooting her a smile as he raced down the remaining stairs before walking towards her at a much slower pace. "I've asked Mom if we can arrange something for you, tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked curiously, frowning in puzzlement as she stepped towards Sora. "What are you arranging?"

"Your next surprise. Today has been the only day of this week where I haven't taken you for a surprise. Instead, you have surprised me." A chuckle escaped from Sora's lips. "Tomorrow, I'm going back to surprising you. I've asked Mom if we can arrange it, and she said she hopes so. She also said she thinks it'll be a great way of thanking you for everything you've done to make my surprise go ahead."

Kairi gave Sora a shocked expression. Whatever he wanted to surprise her with sounded very hard to arrange, which probably meant it was expensive. "Sora, you don't need to arrange anything-"

"I do – and I'm going to." Sora hugged the girl, running his fingers back through her hair. "I promised you that I would be spending lots of time with you, giving you lots of surprises. I have only just thought of what I'm going to arrange for you, and I really want it to go ahead – just for you."

Smiling softly up at Sora, Kairi hugged him back, closing her eyes as she rested her head onto his shoulder. She was so happy to have met such a wonderful person who always wanted her to be happy. If she had not met him, her life would not have nearly had as much joy. "Thank you, Sora."

As the two teenagers pulled away from each other, they locked gazes. Soft, happy smiles were on their faces. Sora placed his hands gently onto Kairi's shoulders – only to quickly pull them away in alarm at the sound of his mother's footsteps, coming from the upper level. They sounded like they were thundering towards the staircase. He and Kairi stood side by side in worry, listening to the sound of Nikkou's feet knocking onto the stairs. If she were to see them in a hug for the second time that day, they knew she would definitely say something which would embarrass them.

Nikkou came into the view of the two teenagers once she was halfway down the staircase. She looked towards them as she continued to descend the stairs, smiling at the girl. "Have you had your piece of cake yet, Kairi?"

"I haven't," Kairi answered, beginning to wonder what the cake she had baked tasted like.

"You've gotta have a piece of cake you took the time to make, all by yourself," Sora told her with a chuckle, walking towards the kitchen doorway, which Nikkou had just passed through.

Laughing, Kairi followed Sora into the kitchen. She looked towards the table, seeing that only a quarter of the cake she had baked remained on the plate it had been sitting on. Earlier, Nikkou had cut it up into pieces, which she had wrapped up in the napkins with balloon patterns before giving out one each to the rest of the guests. One napkin wrapped around a piece of cake sat near the plate. Kairi smiled to herself, knowing it was for her.

Sora gently picked up the piece of cake that was wrapped up, holding it out towards Kairi for her to take. "Here's your piece."

"Thanks, Sora." Kairi took the piece from the boy whilst grinning up at him. "I'm quite looking forward to tasting it."

"I bet you've made it taste great," Nikkou chuckled heartily, pointing towards the remaining quarter of the cake. "Sora and I will have to cut ourselves a piece now."

Sora led Kairi out of the kitchen and through the lounge, stopping near the front door. He glanced towards the kitchen doorway, making sure Nikkou was not watching them, before hugging the girl tightly with a soft smile on his face. "Thank you, Kairi. I really appreciate everything you have done for me, today. I've never had a birthday like today. It has been so fabulous, thanks to you."

Kairi hugged the boy back, still holding onto the napkin that held her piece of cake. All throughout the week, he had been constantly surprising her, so she was very pleased that she had been given the opportunity to give him a surprise herself. She was glad it had given him a happy birthday.

Pulling away from Kairi, Sora placed his right hand on the front door's handle. He gave her a little grin. "Tomorrow, I'll give you a call in the morning to tell you if Mom and I have managed to arrange what it is we want to surprise you with. I really want it to go ahead, since you've given me such an amazing surprise, today."

Kairi grinned softly up at Sora, wondering what it was he wanted to surprise her with. She did not mind if he would unable to arrange it. His kindness of planning it, just for her, was enough to make her feel happy. "Thank you, Sora."

Gripping the handle tightly, Sora turned towards the door, which he pulled open, letting the night air into the living room. He turned back to Kairi, letting off a chuckle. "Enjoy your cake, Kairi."

Kairi laughed softly, raising her hand to look at the napkin with the piece of cake inside. She walked past Sora to step out through the doorway, turning around to look at him once she was standing on the garden path. "Bye, Sora."

"Bye, Kairi!" Sora called cheerfully, raising his hand to wave to her. "Thanks again for everything you've done for me, today!"

Kairi started to walk down the garden path, looking over her shoulder towards Sora as she waved back to him with her free hand. As she passed through the gateway and turned to walk in the direction of her house, she saw him close the door. Smiling to herself, she began to walk up the sidewalk. She decided that she could enjoy her piece of cake before going to bed – with possibly another surprise from Sora to wait for her, the next day.

* * *

**So that's Sora's surprise gone – and you can go back to wondering what it is he's going to be surprising Kairi with. :P One thing I forgot to include in the last chapter was the mention of chocolate bars, which would be needed to bake the cakes Kairi and Riku made. But I've corrected that now.**

**Sure hope the whole party scene was okay.**


	43. Hidden Emotions

**Sorry about the long wait, but here is the latest chapter. It's quite short in comparison to some of the latest chapters I've written. I hope it's okay.**

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The stairs in Kairi's house made small sounds as the soles of the girl's purple shoes came down on top of each of them. She was making her way to the bottom floor of her house to make herself some breakfast, having just woken up, washed and dressed. It was ten o'clock in the morning after Sora's birthday, and Kairi was smiling softly to herself as she thought about the fact that the boy who she had been spending so much time with throughout the past week was now sixteen-years old.

Stepping off the bottom stair, she walked around to where the small table that held the telephone was standing next to the couch. Kairi looked down at the phone, unsure if Sora had called her during the morning while she had still been asleep. She remembered him telling her after the party that he had something in mind for them to do together, and he would call her to let her know if what he had thought of would go ahead, since it needed arranging before it could be done. Kairi did not mind if what Sora had been hoping for them to do would not go ahead. He had already done so much for her during the week, all of which, she highly appreciated.

Kairi looked up from the phone and towards the doorway to the kitchen. She knew Sora would call her again if he had already called once, so she was free to make herself some breakfast. Passing through the doorway, she walked over to the kitchen floor cupboard, pulling its door open. On the right side of the cupboard's middle wooden shelf sat a white, electric toaster, which she took hold of in both of her hands, lifting it out gently. She placed it onto the worktop, plugging it into a nearby wall socket.

Pushing the cupboard door shut, Kairi looked towards where a sliced up loaf of bread was sitting on the worktop inside its wrapper. She had made herself toast for breakfast, the morning before, and had forgotten to return the bread to the cupboard, as her mind had been fixed on preparing Sora's party. Taking hold of the packet, which had been left open, she pulled out a thin piece of white bread, which she placed into the toaster. She pressed down on the lever on the side of the toaster, sinking the piece of bread inside to start toasting.

Walking over to the refrigerator, Kairi pulled its door open and reached inside to take hold of a tub of butter that was sitting on the bottom shelf – only to freeze at the sound of the phone starting to ring.

Surprised by the sudden noise, she looked through the doorway that led to the lounge to see the ringing phone on the table next to the couch. Stepping away from the refrigerator (leaving its door open), she entered the lounge and stopped in front of the table to look down at the phone, which was continuing to ring.

Quickly, Kairi took hold of the receiver in her right hand. Lifting it up slowly from its place – which stopped the ringing - she held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kairi!"

The girl grinned softly, immediately recognising the voice of the boy who she had been expecting a call from. "Hi, Sora."

"I'm just calling to let you know about what I had planned for us to do for today," Sora told her in a voice that was filled with excitement. "An hour ago, I called the people who are behind it all - and I have managed to arrange it! When we go over there, it'll all be ready for us!"

A small grin appeared on Kairi's face as she realized what Sora was telling her was that he had yet another surprise day out for them planned. She was starting to look forward to it, but the grin on her face faded as she wondered if there was a high price of Munny that would have to be paid for what he wanted them to do.

"Are you looking forward to it, Kairi?"

"Sora…" Kairi murmured worriedly, hoping that the boy would give the question she was about to ask an answer that would put her mind at ease. "Did you have to pay anything for what you have planned?"

"Um…no, I haven't paid yet," Sora stammered, his voice sounding a little uneasy. "But when we get down there, I _will_ have to pay so that we can-"

"How much?" Kairi suddenly interrupted, wanting to know if the price Sora had to pay for her surprise would be too expensive for him. She did not want him to spend even a tiny bit of Munny on her, and a high amount would make her feel very guilty.

"It doesn't matter how much it'll cost, Kairi, as it's all to give you a nice day." Sora was now speaking in a soft, gentle tone, as he was trying to assure the girl that the amount of Munny that would have to be paid did not matter to him. "Mom and I are pretty much ready to go, are you?"

Still holding the phone to her ear, Kairi looked towards the kitchen. She remembered that she had put some bread in the toaster to make breakfast, but had not yet eaten it. "Sorry, Sora, but I still haven't had breakfast. It hasn't been long since I got up."

"Oh. Sorry, Kairi. I just wanted to let you know about today."

"It's alright, Sora," Kairi answered softly, the grin that had just been on her face returning. "I know that's what you wanted to do. I was expecting you to call me."

"I'll let you have your breakfast," Sora said. "Come on over to my house when you're ready, then we'll make our way over to the place with Mom."

"Okay. I won't be long. See you soon, Sora."

"Bye, Kairi."

Kairi placed the receiver down onto its place next to the phone's keypad, smiling softly down at it. She was still a little worried that what Sora had planned was very expensive, although she could not help feeling happy and excited at the same time. Another surprise from the boy was waiting for her, and it would not be long before she would find out.

Turning towards the kitchen doorway, Kairi passed through it – to find that she had left the door of the refrigerator open. Forgetting that she had been about to take a tub of butter out when the phone had rang, she simply raised a hand to push the door shut. She took a few steps alongside the worktop, looking towards the toaster. The bread was sitting inside it, having popped up while the girl had been talking to Sora. It was now a light brown, but was no longer as warm as it had been the moment it had been forced up.

Kairi took hold of the toast in her right hand, lifting it out of the toaster. Forgetting to take a plate out of the cupboard, she just sat in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. She bit into the toast, not realizing she had forgotten to butter it or put it on a plate. Her mind was not focused on breakfast, as it was racing with thoughts of another surprise waiting for her, all planned by Sora.

* * *

Taking the house key out of the keyhole, Kairi pulled her front door open, stepping out of her house. She had finished off her toast and brushed her teeth for a second time that morning. Not much time had passed since Sora had called, but she remembered he had told her to make her way to his house when she was ready. She had been feeling ready the moment she had returned her toothbrush to the jar she kept it inside, which always sat beside the bathroom sink.

Kairi pulled the door shut behind her, turning around on the spot to face it. She locked it up with her house keys before turning around again to face the gateway. Returning the keys to her pouch, she walked down the garden path, stepped out through the gateway and turned left - beginning to quicken her pace as she made her way down the sidewalk.

Reaching Sora's house, which was now standing on her left, Kairi passed through the gateway. Making her way across the path, she slowed down her walking speed as she approached the front door. She stepped onto the doorstep, raised a fisted right hand and knocked gently on the door.

The door remained still for a few seconds, until the handle started to move downwards, since it was being pushed down from the inside of the house. The door was pulled open, and Sora came into the girl's view. He was standing in front of the doorway, holding the door open with a grin on his face. "Hi, Kairi."

"Hi, Sora." Kairi answered, taking two steps back to stand on the path as she grinned back softly up at the boy. "Are you ready to go to wherever the surprise is?"

"I told you on the phone that Mom and I are pretty much ready," Sora laughed as he shook his head in disbelief. He stepped out of the house – letting the door swing behind him until it was ajar - and off the doorstep. He turned to face Kairi with a smile as he stood next to her on the path. "We weren't expecting you to arrive so quickly after the call I made."

"Sora!" Nikkou's voice could be heard calling loudly from the upstairs level of the house. "Is that Kairi at the door?"

"Yeah, Mom! She's here!" Sora yelled back loud into the house, turning around to face the door. He hoped his mother would be able to hear him from upstairs. Taking a few steps backwards, he stood next to Kairi on the path, facing her curiously. "You don't mind Mom coming with us, do you?"

"Of course I don't mind, Sora," Kairi replied honestly, giving the boy a large smile. She was trying hard to look joyful, even though the happiness she had just been feeling had started to suddenly fade away, replaced with sadness that was quickly growing. She knew there was a reason why Sora had to spend time with his mother, as well as with her. Thinking about the reason now was what was making Kairi start to feel upset, although she was trying to hide it from Sora. She did not want to ruin the day out before it had begun.

Sora frowned slightly when he saw the large smile on Kairi's face. He could tell there was something not right, as it looked to him like she was forcing the smile onto her face. He felt very concerned, worrying that she was not happy, which he strongly wanted her to be. "Are you okay, Kairi?"

"I'm fine, Sora," Kairi lied, quickly looking away from him towards the ajar door. She could hear Nikkou's feet thundering down the steps. The false smile remained on her face, as she did not want Sora's mother to be bothered by the fact that she was feeling upset.

The loud rumbling noise which came from the staircase was replaced by quieter clacking sounds that made their way across the wooden floor of the lounge, getting slightly louder as they drew nearer to the door. Once they had reached the section of floor that was in front of the foot of the door, the clacking sound of Nikkou walking in her flats across the floor stopped instantly. From inside the house, the door was pulled open. The woman in her thirties was standing in the doorway, grinning softly towards Kairi. "Hi!"

"Hey, Nikkou." The wide, false smile Kairi had forced onto her face grew. "Thanks for taking me out on another surprise. I appreciate it."

Nikkou chuckled heartily as she pulled the door shut behind her. She stood on the doorstep, turning away from the two teenagers to lock the door with the key that was in her left hand. "Sora's the one who is arranging it and taking you. I'm just coming along with you both."

The smile on Kairi's face decreased in size as she turned to face Sora. It was no longer large and forced, but it was still a smile of sadness, which she could not help feeling. "Thank you, Sora. You honestly did not have to do this for me."

"Yes I did, Kairi. I told you that we would be spending lots of time together throughout both this week and the last one," Sora reminded her in a worried tone. He was unable to feel cheerful, as he felt worried about the girl. He knew there was something wrong, and he was wondering why she was keeping it from him. "I want to make this week just as enjoyable for you as the last one."

Having locked the door of the house, Nikkou turned around on the doorstep, pocketing the key. She grinned down towards Kairi, unable to tell that the small smile on her face was not one of happiness. "We're going to walk over to where your surprise is. It's in the big field with the dirt road, not far from here. I hope you don't mind, Kairi."

"I don't mind at all." Kairi looked up at Nikkou, shaking her head slowly with the sad smile still on her face. "It'll be really fun to walk there."

"You might see your surprise before we get there, though," Nikkou laughed cheerfully, stepping off the doorstep and walking slowly past the two teenagers as she made her way down the path.

Kairi followed Nikkou towards the gateway, trying to keep her mind focused on what the surprise could be. Thoughts of something that she was sure would be wonderful would probably keep her happy until they arrived at the location. It was difficult for her to think of surprises, however, as she only had thoughts what Sora had been going through for over a week. The sad smile on her face had faded away, although she was still trying to keep a casual expression.

Sora was looking down at Kairi with a troubled look as they walked together out through the gateway. Without looking up, he turned left, which was the direction Nikkou had gone, beginning to walk down the sidewalk as he stayed by the girl's side. He would have to find out what was wrong with her, even if it meant pestering her until she gave him an honest answer. Her happiness was very important to him.

Looking up from Kairi, Sora turned towards Nikkou. She was walking a few steps ahead of him and the girl. "Mom! Can Kairi and I walk on ahead so that we can talk together, please?"

Nikkou gazed over her shoulder towards her son as she walked down the sidewalk. A small grin was on her face. "Sure you can, Sora. You know where we're going, don't you?"

Sora nodded towards his mother before taking Kairi's hand in his own – causing her blue eyes to widen and her cheeks to go a faint shade of pink. He walked at a slightly quicker pace, leading the girl past his mother and down the sidewalk. Since he was looking ahead, he did not realize that the false casual expression on Kairi's face had disappeared, being replaced by one of surprise. He kept walking at his quick pace until they came to the end of the street, where the sidewalk they were on led to the left. Slowing down, he pulled the girl around the bend, beginning to take her away from the street.

Kairi was able to walk at the boy's side again, since he was no longer racing so fast or pulling her along. Her hand was still in his, however, and she kept hold of it as they started to make their way past the rows of streets. She was gazing worriedly at him, wondering why he had taken her so far ahead of Nikkou. "Are you okay, Sora?"

Sora looked away from what was ahead of him to frown slightly at Kairi. Concern was filling each of his eyes to the tops of their blue irises. "More like are _you _okay, Kairi? Why are you not happy?"

The blush on Kairi's cheeks faded away. She gave Sora a small smile, knowing he was very worried about her and appreciating the fact he wanted her to be cheerful - but she was also secretly believing that she was already ruining the day. "I _am_ happy, Sora. Very happy."

"No you aren't, Kairi. I know you aren't." Sora pulled his hand out of Kairi's, placing it gently onto her right shoulder. It was obvious to him that she was not being honest with him, but the reason why was unclear to him. He had thought that now that his birthday surprise had been revealed and gone, she would no longer keep secrets from him. "I can tell you're not telling me the truth."

"I am, Sora!" Kairi almost yelled, the smile on her face growing. She looked away from the boy to face the direction they were walking in. Knowing that Sora was still looking at her, even though she was trying hard not to even glance at him, she kept the smile on her face. She knew he was still going to try to persuade her to be honest with him. She felt very ashamed of herself. Sora had wanted the day to be nice for her, and she was spoiling it for both of them.

Sora, feeling stunned, slowly removed his hand from Kairi's shoulder. He desperately needed to know the reason why she was clearly not happy, but he was not sure if the girl was ever going to be honest with him. Looking over his shoulder as he continued to walk by the girl's side, he saw that his mother was many yards behind them. She was only just walking past the entrance to the street that was behind the one where they lived.

Facing ahead, Sora saw that he and Kairi were now about to round a bend in the sidewalk they were making their way along. They would be walking alongside a wooden fence that went almost entirely around a large field that was near the estate. Some tall elm trees grew around the edges of the field, so any view of its bright green grass was blocked out from anyone walking alongside the fence. Sora glanced up at the tops of trees. The surprise he had arranged for Kairi was somewhere inside the field, and he had been worried that she would be able to see it above the hundreds of leaves in the trees.

Sora looked down at Kairi again as they went around the bend in the sidewalk, beginning to slowly walk alongside the wooden fence. She was still looking ahead, although he could see that the false smile on her face had faded away. "Is it because Mom is coming with us?" he asked worriedly. "Are you disappointed that she is joining us? Is that why you aren't happy?"

Slowly, Kairi turned her head towards Sora as she walked at his side. As she shook her head, a different small smile made its way onto her face. It was not a false one, although it was clearly a sad smile, which meant she was no longer trying to look the opposite of how she really felt. As she gazed up at Sora, her blue eyes started to fill up with tears. "No, Sora. I don't mind your mom coming with us. She is so kind and wonderful. And you need to…spend lots of time…with her…"

Unable to hold her emotions in for any longer, Kairi started to sob softly. She stopped where she was on the sidewalk, turning away from Sora as she covered her face with her hands. Using her thumbs, she quickly tried to wipe away some the tears that were now free to rush out of her eyes and down her cheeks. It was no use trying to hide the fact that her heart was broken from Sora. He was always able to tell how she was feeling. She still did not want to cry in front of him, although she was no longer able to stop herself. She was very sure that she was definitely ruining the day, which made her feel even worse.

Shocked at the sight of Kairi in tears, Sora's jaw hung open as his eyes widened. He was very upset to see the girl crying, although he was glad she was no longer trying to hide her emotions from him, which he could tell was a lot more painful for her. Standing next to her, he gently placed his left hand back onto the girl's shoulder. "Kairi, what is it? What's wrong?"

Lowering her trembling hands, Kairi gazed tearfully up at Sora. The tears that she had tried to keep inside her blue eyes continued to race down her cheeks. She had a question for the boy, which had been on her mind since he had returned from the hospital, the day before. She had not chosen not to ask it as soon as he had arrived home, since they had been celebrating his birthday. She desperately needed to know the answer to her question, and she could not go on without knowing it for any longer. "Sora…how did your surgery at the hospital go yesterday?"

Immediately understanding why the girl was so upset, Sora looked unhappily down at his feet. He wondered if Kairi had felt miserable at all during the day before. Going through an operation for such a serious condition on his sixteenth birthday had not been easy for him, and he knew that Kairi had always felt upset when she had been reminded of it.

Looking up from his feet, Sora sadly faced Kairi, noticing how pink her cheeks had turned from crying. "The doctor managed to take all of the cancer cells that were in my arm out, and then he applied some dressing to it," he explained glumly.

"And what happens now?" Kairi asked him, her voice quiet and sounding frightened.

"I have to go back to the hospital in four days from now to have the dressing removed. Two days after that, I will need to go again to receive the results of the surgery…even though…" Sora's voice was filling up with fear as he began struggling to get the words out. "I had been told by the doctor…that's the day…I could…I could…"

Kairi nodded slowly, knowing exactly what word Sora was unable to say. It was a word she also feared, as she did not want to lose the boy she loved so much. He did not deserve to have his life taken from him, and yet, there was a high chance he would lose it in six days, and nothing could be done about it. She started to sob again, much harder than before. The tears that were freed from her eyes ran down her pink cheeks at a much faster speed. She looked down at the sidewalk she was standing on as she cried bitterly, felt very heartbroken and scared.

"Oh, Kairi. I'm so sorry," Sora gasped in horror, squeezing her shoulder gently with his hand. He frowned hard, feeling very angry with himself for causing the girl he loved so much hurt. Putting his arm around her shoulders to comfort her, he tried to think of something to do or say which would take her mind off what was frightening her. It was not easy for him to think, as Kairi's hard crying was echoing down his ears and filling his head, causing him to feel even more emotional pain.

Sora took his eyes off the sobbing Kairi for a few seconds – and widened them when he saw that they were standing near a gate that had been built into the wooden fence. The gate had been left open, and the gap that had been made was wide enough for vehicles that travelled on the road next to the sidewalk to pass through it. They would be able to travel through the field by following the dirt track that stretched all the way to the other end, joining up with the main road. Some more elm trees were growing in a line along the left side of the dirt road, keeping part of the field still hidden from view.

The sight of the gate and the dirt road told Sora that they were very near to Kairi's surprise. He had almost forgotten about it, as he had been so upset from telling her how his surgery went and seeing her in tears. Quickly, he turned to look at her, noticing she was still looking down and bawling. "Kairi – you're surprise is nearby!"

Kairi stopped sobbing instantly and looked up curiously. Raising her right hand, she wiped the tears away from her eyes. She had not noticed that they were standing near the gate, as she had been too busy crying. Despite having passed through it and walked along the dirt road many times in her life, she had never seen anything special in the field. She knew that there was now something amazing waiting in the field for her, and she was anxious to find out what it was.

Sora grinned widely at how surprised Kairi was, just due to remembering that what he had arranged for her was in the field. Glad to see that she was no longer crying, he hoped that she would feel much better when she found out what her surprise was. Keeping his arm around her shoulders, he led her slowly through the open gate, beginning to walk along the dirt road.

Kairi looked ahead in excitement, spotting where the line of trees on the left side of the dirt road ended. From that point onwards, the left side of the field would be visible. She looked to the right as she walked alongside Sora, only to see miles of green grass that stretched off into the distance under the blue sky full of clouds. Nothing exciting was in sight. Turning to her left, Kairi's eyes met the trunks of the trees that were all lined up. She was just about able to see some of the grass behind the trees through the small gaps between them, but nothing else was visible.

Sora smiled down softly at Kairi, knowing she was trying to find her surprise. He glanced up at the tops of the trees, trying to see if anything was looming over them, before looking ahead as he continued to walk slowly along the dirt road. "Your surprise is behind these trees."

A small grin appeared on Kairi's face as she gazed up excitedly at Sora. "Can we go a little quicker, please? You're going too slow, Sora."

Laughing, Sora removed his arm from Kairi's shoulders before sprinting up the dirt road. Kairi giggled happily as she darted after him as quickly as she could. She was a fast runner, but was not as quick as Sora. She was unable to keep up with him as he managed to stay a few metres ahead of her. He was very fast and was now going too quick for her, although she thought running after him was fun.

Sora reached the last tree in the row alongside the dirt road. He came to a stop as soon as he passed it, his shoes sliding through the dirt. He glanced out towards the field, then looked towards Kairi, seeing that she was still running along the road towards him. Standing where he was with a smile, he pointed out towards the large space of field behind the trees as he watched her sprint as fast as she could.

Running up to where Sora was standing, Kairi shot past him before finally stopping. Exhausted from the run, she took a few deep breaths. She had not been expecting to run with Sora, as Nikkou had told them they would be walking. Turning around, she grinned at Sora, her cheeks bright red. "I don't feel like running again today."

"There's no need for you to run," Sora smiled at her, still pointing out towards the field behind the trees. "Your surprise is over there."

Kairi looked out towards where Sora was pointing. Instantly, her grin was replaced by an open jaw as she gazed out towards the field in amazement.

Near the line of trees, a few yards from where they were standing, was a large hot air balloon. It was being held down to the ground by some long ropes, which were preventing it from taking off before it was supposed to. A few people were working around the balloon while one man was standing inside the brown, wicker basket. Although the two teenagers could not see what the man looked like, they were able to see that he was pulling on a cord that ignited a flame from the burner above the basket. The hot air that was given off by the flame was filling the envelope, which was round and made of sky blue nylon. It also displayed a pattern of white clouds, and on the side which faced the teenagers, they could see large words in thin, red, capital letters that read: 'DESTINY ISLANDS' FLIGHTS'.

Her jaw still hanging open, Kairi slowly turned to Sora. She gazed up at him, unable to believe what he had arranged for her. The tears that had once been in her blue eyes were now replaced with delight. "_This _is my surprise, Sora?"

"It certainly is, Kairi," Sora nodded, smiling softly down at the girl. He could easily tell that she was very amazed and happy over her surprise. "We're going for a ride in that big balloon."

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**As I said at the start, I hope this chapter is okay. =\ I didn't originally intend for it to mostly about Kairi being upset. I was also gonna write a bit more after the point where it ended, but I think this is a better place to end it. I'm gonna need to put quite a bit of thought into the next chapter and a lot of the remaining ones. To be honest, I haven't given them much thought, since I was mostly focused on the chapters that led up to Sora's birthday. I hope I'll be make them interesting for you all.**


	44. In the Basket

**Here's the newest chapter. It took me a little while to write, but turned out much shorter than I had planned. That's a bit relieving for me, but I hope it's entertaining for you.**

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As a wide grin of excitement and happiness appeared on Kairi's face the moment Sora had finished telling her what they were about to do, she quickly turned away from the boy to look towards where the balloon was being held down in the field. Hot air balloons were a form of transport she often saw flying over Destiny Islands, but she could not believe she was about to board the one that was standing a few yards in front of her. Her eyes were glued to the gigantic, blue envelope, which she thought looked very amazing. She was really looking forward to boarding the basket, soon to start sailing through the air with Sora and Nikkou.

The boy she was standing next to was grinning softly down at her. He was very delighted to see how happy she looked as she gazed towards where the balloon stood. "Does that sound good to you, Kairi? A ride in that balloon?"

Kairi turned to face Sora again, giving him the same expression she had shot in the direction of the balloon. She nodded slowly before suddenly throwing her arms around him, hugging him very tightly. The wide, excited grin on her face grew much wider than before. "That sounds wonderful, Sora! Thank you so much for organizing this! I can't wait to get on board the balloon!"

Sora hugged the girl back tightly, grinning softly down at her. "I can't wait to get on board, either, Kairi. Flying in the sky with you really _will_ be wonderful. I'm happy that you like your surprise."

Pulling away slowly from the girl while still smiling down at her, Sora took her left hand in his right one as he stepped off the dirt road and onto the green grass. As he began to lead the girl across the field towards the balloon, he felt her hand gently squeeze his. He looked up at the balloon as he approached it, amazed by how much bigger the envelope seemed to appear as they became closer by each of their steps. With his free hand, Sora tapped the left pocket on his baggy trousers. He could feel his leather, black wallet inside, which he was glad of. It contained a lot of Munny which he needed to pay for himself, Kairi and his mother to go flying in the balloon. He would have been very furious with himself if he had lost it.

They were a few feet away from the balloon when a woman who had been standing beside the basket approached them. She had seen them walking across the field and knew instantly that they were two of the three people the balloon had been blown up for. Dressed in a white cotton shirt and a black jacket that she had zipped up, along with a black skirt and a pair of white high heels, the woman was young and thin. She had pale skin, long black hair that flowed past her shoulders and blue eyes which were looking towards the teenagers, filled with confusion. She had heard over the telephone that morning that the people who would be riding the balloon would be an adult and two teenagers. She could see no adult, who she was hoping would arrive soon, as she believed that would be the moment she would be handed the large amount of Munny that needed to be paid to her.

The woman stood in front of the two teenagers as they stopped a few centimetres away from her, having noticed she was coming towards them. She pulled a notebook out of her left jacket pocket, glanced at the page which it was open to and returned it to where she had pulled it out from before smiling at Sora. "Hey. You're Sora, aren't you?"

"I am," Sora replied, nodding towards the woman with a smile. Keeping hold of Kairi's hand, he looked up at the balloon in amazement, unable to believe how enormous it looked from where they were standing. "The balloon is really fantastic!"

"I know it is." The woman was no longer smiling or looking towards Sora. Instead, she was looking past him with urgency. "I was told over the phone that two teenagers and an adult would be coming. Is the adult with you?"

"Yeah, my mom will be joining us on the balloon." Sora gave a small laugh. "We just kinda left her behind on the way here, but she'll catch us up."

The woman turned back to look at Sora, now feeling satisfied. The smile returned to her face, although it was not quite the same as it was before. "So will your mom be paying then?"

Kairi frowned scornfully towards the woman. She thought it was very cheeky of her to ask about the munny that needed to be paid before any of them were even ready to board the balloon. Knowing exactly who was going to be paying, she began to feel worried again. She had no idea how much a hot air balloon ride would cost, and she was hoping it would not be too expensive.

"_I'm_ gonna be paying," Sora announced proudly, finding no rudeness in the woman's question. Reaching into his left pocket, he pulled out his wallet. It felt slightly heavier than before, for he had been stuffing a lot of munny orbs inside it when he had been getting ready earlier that morning. He weighted it in his hand, smiling at the woman. "How much will that be?"

Knowing that the wallet the boy was holding contained a lot of munny, the woman gave a pleased grin as she pulled her notebook out of her pocket once again. She flipped through a few pages before stopping on the one she wanted. With her free hand, she ran the tip of her index finger over the page, reading over the figures that had been scribbled across the page in messy, black ink. "That's gonna be two hundred and seventy munny."

Kairi, who had been looking up at Sora with worry the moment he had pulled out his wallet, turned her head quickly towards the woman with a horrified expression. She had not been expecting the price for the balloon ride to be as high as what it was. Not wanting Sora to spend such a large amount of munny on her, she turned back towards him, opening her mouth to demand him not to hand over the orbs in his wallet and cancel the ride. Due to her shock at how high the price was, however, she was unable to get any words of protest out of her mouth.

Smiling calmly, Sora opened up his wallet. He looked inside it to see the many munny orbs that he had forced inside. All of the orbs were medium-sized, as he would not have been able to stuff many large-sized ones inside. The total amount of munny he had with him was much more than he would have had if he had tried to cram a few large-sized orbs into the wallet. He would still have a lot with him after he had paid, for the price he had just been told he needed to pay was only a fraction of how much munny was inside his wallet altogether.

Sora turned the wallet in his hand so that he was holding it sideways. He held out his right hand under it, which he started to gently shake it. Some of the munny orbs that he had stuffed inside the wallet fell out, landing in his palm. Sora counted the orbs as they fell into his hand until he was holding sixteen of them. He stopped shaking the wallet and held out his right hand towards the woman for her to take the orbs. "Here's the munny."

The woman, still grinning widely, quickly took the munny out of Sora's palm. She held it in an open hand as she looked down at it – pulling a face when she saw she was only holding sixteen orbs which were medium-sized. "You need more Munny than this! This is only worth eighty!"

"I know," Sora answered in defence, already shaking some more munny orbs out of the wallet and into the palm of his right hand. "I'm just getting the rest of it for you."

He continued to shake the wallet until another sixteen orbs were lying in his palm. Turning the wallet upright, he handed the orbs to the woman, who had already pocketed the first sixteen orbs he had given her, as well as her notebook. Sora did not notice the worried look on Kairi's face as she gazed up at him, watching him shake some more munny out of his wallet to catch in his hand. The girl was feeling guilty about being the reason why he was paying so much munny. She was also feeling annoyed at the woman for her greedy attitude. She wished Sora would just cancel the trip and save his munny.

With twenty-two orbs piles up in his hand, all trying to stay balanced, Sora closed up the wallet in the one hand he was using to hold it, returning it to his trouser pocket. Looking at the orbs in his hand, he tried to count them for a second time to make sure that once he handed them over, he would have then paid the total amount of munny needed for himself, the girl he loved and his mother to go flying on board the hot air balloon. Since there were so many orbs piled into his hand, not all of them were in view, so he was not able to count them all.

Assuming he had enough to pay for the balloon ride, Sora held out the munny in his hand towards the woman. "Is this enough for you?"

The woman held out her right hand, which Sora let the orbs in his own hand fall into. With her left hand, she picked up each orb one at a time and counted in fives as she placed them into her trousers' pockets, which were both already filled with the other orbs that Sora had already handed to her. She was able to count very quickly, and once all of the orbs were shoved into her pockets, she calculated in her head how much Sora had given her altogether. "That's two hundred and seventy! Thank you very much! Hope you enjoy the balloon ride!"

As the woman walked around to the left side of the balloon basket, Sora looked up at the large envelope, grinning excitedly over the fact that it would soon be carrying himself, Kairi and Nikkou through the air. He looked down at the girl – surprised to see that she was gazing down at the ground in disappointment, rather than up at the envelope. His grin quickly faded away as he began to worry about her. "What's the matter, Kairi?"

Kairi lifted her head up slowly so that she was no longer looking down at the ground and was now facing Sora. Her expression was filled with guilt. "Why did you give away so munny, Sora?"

Chuckling softly, Sora gently shook his head. "Well, Kairi, I had to pay for your surprise-"

"But I didn't want you to!" Kairi silenced him, letting out how ashamed she felt within the tone of her voice. "I don't want you to go spending a lot of munny on me! You already spent a lot when we went to Night Sky! But I can't believe you just handed over two-hundred and seventy munny!"

Realising why the girl was feeling bad, Sora smiled softly down at her, wanting to assure her that he did not mind spending so much munny on her. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, holding it up for her to see. "And I've still got _plenty _of munny, Kairi. I made sure to take lots with me. I did not know exactly how much I would have to spend, but I was prepared to hand lots of it over. I really wanted to, so that we would get to go on this balloon ride."

Beginning to feel a little better, due to how kind Sora was being, Kairi smiled up at him. Gently, she took his free hand in both of hers, holding it gently. "You can't keep spending so much munny on me, Sora."

"I can," Sora argued in a soft tone, the grin remaining on his face. "I promised you that the two of us would spend so much time together throughout this fortnight, having lots of fun and doing nice things together. I don't care how much munny I have to spend to make sure that you have a lovely time. I'd much rather see you happy than a bunch of orbs, which I have plenty of to spend on you, whether you want me to or not."

Kairi looked down again, squeezing Sora's hand gently in both of hers. She was still smiling softly, no longer feeling ashamed. Instead, she was very happy and grateful for Sora's selflessness. She could not believe that the boy was willing to go give away so much munny, all just to make sure she was happy. The many activities they had done together throughout the past week – including the single one she had arranged instead of him – had not failed to make her happy, which was mostly because he had been with her for all of them. The spiky-haired boy had always been there to make Kairi very happy throughout her entire life on Destiny Islands – and she had always been aware that he would constantly make sure she was happy. If she was not, her low mood would not last long, due to the boy's urgent and hard efforts which were quick to serve their only purpose: to make her feel better and bring a smile to her face.

"Wow! The balloon looks really amazing, doesn't it?"

Hearing the voice of the boy's mother coming from nearby, Sora and Kairi quickly pulled their hands away from each other. They turned around to see Nikkou a few paces away, walking towards them. Her eyes were fixed to the giant envelope, so the two teenagers relaxed. It seemed that she had not noticed that they had been standing there, hand in hand. They were sure she would have passed a comment about it, and they both did not want the person they loved to feel embarrassed. They had no idea that they were both thinking the same thought.

Nikkou stopped in front of the two teenagers, looking down from the envelope to face them. She looked from Kairi to Sora with a smile on her face, not knowing they had just been holding hands. "Thanks for taking us on this ride, Sora."

Kairi could not help grinning softly the moment she heard Nikkou express her gratitude towards Sora. The woman in her thirties had taken her – and Riku – out on many day trips with Sora over the years, and the spiky-haired boy would always be heard thanking his mother before they had even begun the fun activities she had planned for them. It was rather funny for Kairi to hear the mother thanking her son for being the one to take them on a day trip. What Sora was doing for them also made her think of what a loving son the boy was towards his mother, bringing her with them to enjoy the day out.

"Your welcome, Mom," Sora laughed cheerily, thinking his mother thanking him for taking them on a day trip was equally as funny as Kairi did. "But we haven't even got on board yet. Let's get inside the basket now so that we can start flying."

Turning around on the spot, Sora walked along the grass to get closer to the basket. The few people who he had seen working around it when he and Kairi had first seen the balloon were still there, and he noticed that they were all dressed in white coats. They were all walking around the balloon, checking the ropes that had their middle sections thrown over the open top of the basket were still securely tied to the heavy, metal anchors, which were just lying on the ground. The ropes and anchors were holding the balloon down, stopping it from taking off without its passengers.

Sora stood in front of the basket, surprised to see that it was much taller than he had expected. Its height was all the way up to his shoulders, and he was glad it was no taller. The size it was meant he would still be able to look out at the view from above once he was riding inside it. Kairi would able to see everything as well, even though she was shorter than him. Getting on board would have to come first, which would probably not be as simple as he had thought.

"Are you able to get in?"

At the sound of someone onboard the basket suddenly speaking to him, Sora stopped running his eyes over the top edges to look up. He saw the balloon's pilot standing in between the two ropes that ran over the open top of the basket. He was looking at the boy through his round glasses with his pair of light brown eyes. His straight, black, neatly-combed hair was very short, revealing his entire forehead and letting Sora see exactly how bushy his eyebrows were. The pilot was dressed in a white shirt that displayed an outline of an airplane (made out of black cotton), navy, denim jeans and a pair of white trainers. With his right hand, he firmly pulled down on a cord that hung from above him. A golden flame burst out of the large burner, filling the envelope with more hot air. Sora could feel the strong heat above them, which was getting increasingly warmer.

"It's okay. I can get in," Sora told the pilot with a wide grin on his face. He placed his hands onto the top edge of the side of the basket he was facing, gripping it tightly. He pushed down on it so that he was lifting himself off the ground. Raising his left leg first, he brought his foot down onto the top edge of the side, balancing it next to his left hand. He did the same with his right foot – next to his right hand – and as he slowly let go of the side, he quickly stood up straight with his arms spread out with his palms facing down so that he was balancing on the side of the basket.

Pleased with himself, Sora raised his left foot and turned around on the spot where he was balancing with the use of his right foot. Keeping his arms spread out so that he would not lose his balance, he brought his left foot back down onto the edge, seeing that Nikkou was still standing where she had thanked him while Kairi was approaching the basket to climb inside. Sora wondered if the girl would be able to copy his movement easily.

Kairi stood in front of the same side of the basket Sora was balancing on. She realized how tall it was, for the height of its sides were level with her chin. Even though it would not affect her ability to see out of the basket and look down at the islands from the air, Kairi assumed getting onboard was going to be quite a challenge. She had seen how Sora had managed to pull himself onto the side of the basket, but did not think she would be able to repeat his movements and climb inside in one attempt.

Taking hold of the top edge of the side of the basket, Kairi pushed down with all her strength. Her feet only left the ground by a few millimetres. She let herself stand on the ground again to make another attempt. She pushed down on the side again, but did not seem to get any higher than her first attempt. Letting her feet down onto the ground again, Kairi looked at the side of the basket with a frown. She could not understand why the people who had built it could not have fitted a door into the side so that the balloon's passengers could get in and out with no difficulty.

Getting ready to try for a third time to climb onto the side of the basket, Kairi furiously grabbed the top edge with both of her hands. She gripped it firmly, about to attempt to pull herself up again – when a pair of gloved hands were lowered in front of her. Both of them were open with their palms facing her, for the person they belonged to wanted her to take hold of them.

Grinning widely, Kairi looked up to see Sora stretching his arms down towards her, somehow managing to keep his balance as he remained standing on the side of the basket. She grabbed hold of both of his hands tightly and allowed herself to be pulled up off the ground. Quickly bending her legs, she placed her feet onto the edge of the basket's side as Sora pulled her up gently by her hands.

Now standing on the side of the basket, Kairi gazed at the boy she was balancing beside, still grinning widely and holding onto both of his hands tightly. Sora shot her a grin back, squeezing her hands as he bent his knees to jump backwards into the basket. Kairi, knowing what he was about to do, also bent her legs to jump forwards. They launched themselves into the air, jumping in the same direction, but facing opposite ways, landing inside the basket (in between the side they had jumped from and the closest rope that ran over the top). The two of them shared a soft chuckle, standing where they had landed, still facing each other and holding hands tightly.

"I hope you two are not going to be doing anything like that while we are in the air," the pilot warned them sternly. He was looking at them with a serious and slightly worried expression. "That would be very dangerous."

The two teenagers faced the pilot with small smiles on their faces. They both shook their heads before turning towards the side of the basket which they had jumped from. The smiles on their faces quickly vanished, for to their shock, Nikkou was already standing at the side of the basket, about to climb inside. They had been expecting her to still be standing where they had both left her. Quickly, they let go of each other's hands, hoping Nikkou had not noticed they had still been holding them after they had landed inside the basket.

Due to being a little taller than her son, Nikkou did not find climbing into the basket challenging. It was the size she had expected it to be, so she was able to climb easily over the side. She soon found herself standing inside the basket, next to her son and his best friend, who were gazing up at her. Knowing they were about to take off, she looked down at them, grinning excitedly. She did not know what it was like to fly inside a hot air balloon – but she knew she was about to find out.

"Are we ready to go then?" the pilot asked his three passengers, looking around at them with a smile. He gripped the cord he had been holding onto for most of his time standing inside the basket much tighter. Having flown the balloon so many times in his lift, he knew they were at the stage where he would only have to pull the cord one more time to send them into the air.

"We're ready!" Sora replied loudly in all of his excitement. He glanced towards the pilot, grinning widely at him, before turning back to Kairi. Flying in a hot air balloon was something very different to what the two of them usually did when they went on days out together. He was hoping the girl would really enjoy herself once they were up in the air.

The ropes that were holding the balloon down to the ground were untied from the anchors by the men in white coats. They were pulled off the top of the basket, giving the four people inside free movement without having to crouch down. With his right hand, which was already starting to ache, the pilot forcefully pulled down on the cord. A huge flame shot out of the burner, sending more hot air into the balloon – which started to slowly float into the air. It carried the basket of people easily, lifting it gently off the ground as it silently made its way upwards.

Kairi gasped loudly in amazement, unable to believe they were actually beginning to fly. She glanced at Sora, who was looking just as delighted as she felt, before turning around on the spot to look down at the ground they were leaving behind. Despite not being much taller than the sides of the basket, she was still able to easily see everything the others saw. She could see that they were already passing the tops of the tall trees that ran alongside the dirt road – although they were no longer looking as tall as the balloon made its way past them. They were beginning to look small – and only proceeded to appear even smaller with each second as the balloon its way higher into the air.

Turning around quickly, Kairi stepped over to the other end of the basket. She gazed down excitedly to see the road she and Sora had walked alongside when they had made their way from their houses to the field. The rows of the nearby streets could be seen, and Kairi was even able to happily spot not only her own house, but also the houses of all of her friends who lived in the estate. Despite how tiny they looked from the air, it was very easy for her to spot them all at the same time. It would have been impossible for her to spot them all at once on the ground, since only one of her friends – the very one who she loved more than anything and who always succeeded to make her so happy - lived on the same street as her.

The girl looked up towards the sky, noticing that, like how everything on the ground seemed to get smaller, the clouds seemed to get bigger. They had always looked enormous from the ground, but Kairi had never imagined them to be the size they looked from high in the air. She lowered her head to gaze back down at the view, her eyes widening when she saw how tiny the large field where they had taken off looked from where they were floating. She realized that the sights she usually saw in her daily life were going to look much smaller than usual – but she knew that would not stop the view from looking so beautiful.

One thing Kairi saw almost everyday would still be looking normal-sized while she was flying through the air: the boy who she loved. He would be standing with her, looking down at the small surroundings – and she was very glad he was there. He had been the one to allow her to experience the wonderful view she was looking out at, and even though it was making her very happy, she would have been nowhere near as happy if he had not been there to enjoy it with her.

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**I'm hoping the next chapter will not be too hard for me to write. I need to think out everything that happens throughout the balloon's journey, as well as what happens after it. I have to make sure it's interesting, and not boring or bland. =P**


	45. Moving View

**Here's chapter forty-five. Sorry for the long wait. This took me ages to write, and it's turned out to be one of the story's longest chapters. Hope the length doesn't put you off. :P**

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"Do you all like the view from up here?" the pilot asked his three passengers in hope, smiling widely all around at them. He had seen the view of the island from where they were floating many times in his life, but he always enjoyed looking down at it. The question he had just asked Sora, Kairi and Nikkou was something anyone he took on board his hot air balloon would have to face. He always wanted to make sure his passengers were enjoying the view from above as much as he was.

Nikkou, who was standing in between Kairi and the pilot, turned towards the man to give him a small nod, smiling back at him. She turned around on the spot to look down at the field they had taken off from, awestruck by how high up they were. "I can't believe how tiny everything looks from up here! Isn't it wonderful, Kairi?"

Kairi had not heard neither the pilot's nor Nikkou's question. The breathtaking sights she was witnessing and taking in were somehow affecting her hearing ability. The sea was in view beyond the tall trees and rooftops of the nearby houses, and she was unable to believe how much of the bright blue, salty water she could see surrounding the entire islands. She gazed out in amazement towards the horizon, unable to see so much as a line between the sea and the sky, both of them sharing the same shade of blue. Only the thousands of ripples in the water that were in view from the flying basket let her know exactly where the horizon was.

"Do _you_ think it's wonderful, Kairi?" Sora asked the girl with a grin. He was standing at the side opposite where Kairi, his mother and the pilot where standing together. He had not taken in much of the view, for he had been happily watching Kairi taking it in the moment they had taken off. Her amazed facial expressions (which he knew he would never forgot) had made the answer to his question a little clear, but he wanted to make sure it was the answer he was hoping for by hearing it from the girl herself.

Managing to hear Sora's question clearly, Kairi was able to look away from the view and turn her head so that she could gaze over her shoulder towards the boy. Grinning softly at him, she turned around, taking a few steps across the floor of the basket to stand in front of Sora. She was now looking happily up at him instead of down at the view. "It's _beyond _wonderful, Sora! It's like a dream! I can't believe I'm actually getting a view of the islands as beautiful as this. I did not think it would ever be possible for me to experience these fantastic sights from a hot air balloon – and it certainly wouldn't have been possible if not for you."

Feeling very pleased that Kairi had already begun to enjoy both the ride in the basket and the sights that could be seen from it, Sora shot a wide grin down at her. He still had not remembered to start taking in the view he had the chance to experience, for he was too distracted by the soft smile on Kairi's face. He felt it was a much more beautiful sight than green fields and rooftops on houses. The smile told him that she was very happy, although he did not know that the main reason she was smiling was not because of the view. She was thinking of how both the ride and the sights, despite how fantastic she thought they were both were, could not compare to how amazing the boy she loved was and always had been.

"Look, kids!" Nikkou suddenly called excitedly to them. Her left arm was stretched as far as she could, and she was pointing downwards towards several rows of tiled rooftops that were far below them. "We're about to fly over our estate!"

Kairi turned away from Sora to stand next to Nikkou so that she could look down at the houses. She had not realized that while she had been standing in front of Sora and smiling up at him, a brief but strong gust of wind had blown and caused the balloon to stop floating upwards, beginning instead to float east. She took hold of the side of the basket she was standing in front of in both her hands, peering down enthusiastically to see all of the rooftops of the many houses that made up the estate where she and many of her friends lived. The balloon was about to slowly float over them, and she could not wait to be right above them so she could look down directly at her own house and her friends'.

Sora, still standing up against the opposite side to where the other three people in the balloon stood, decided he had to start seeing for himself what the view was like, especially since Kairi was thoroughly enjoying it. He took a few steps along the floor of the basket to stand to the right of the red-haired girl and in front of the wicker side she was gazing at the moving view from. Looking down with his blue eyes, he immediately took in the hundreds of orange tiles that made the roofs of the houses in the estate. He could see that the pointed middles of the roofs, which were at the very tops of the buildings, seemed to look like thin lines from up in the air.

Looking up and to his left to see how Kairi was reacting to the rooftops, Sora gave a small smile when he noticed by her expression how amazed she was, as well as realizing how speechless she had suddenly become. He was very glad that even the sight of something that was always built on top of buildings was able to delight her, just by seeing them from the air. He looked down towards the rooftops again – and was excited to see that they were just about to fly over the street where he and the girl lived. From up in the air, all of the houses in the estate looked very similar. All of their roofs were made of orange tiles, but the way their walls had been built varied. Most of the rows of houses had been built of orange brickwork while the rows that were closest to the beach had been constructed with the use of white limestone. Each house had a small rectangular lawn in front with a path to the main entrance, as well as a square lawn at the back, surrounded by tall, white, wooden fences. All of the lawns seemed to be the same dark shade of green. Only one small object which was sitting in the top left corner of his own back lawn – looking very tiny from several feet up in the air - told Sora which of the many houses in sight was his.

"Look, Sora! There's your trike down there!" Kairi cried out loudly to the boy, pointing down towards his back garden as the balloon began to fly over it. She slowly turned towards him, a teasing grin on her face. "Do you feel like going down there so you can ride on it?"

The small object in Sora's back garden which Kairi was pointing to was indeed a very old, worn-out tricycle. The blue spray paint that covered its plastic body was fading away, and its three black wheels had not turned for years. Once a much-loved outdoor toy of Sora's, it used to go around in circles along the square, grassy lawn, ridden by the boy many times during his years of toddlerhood. When he had finally outgrown it, Nikkou had been unable to bring herself to get rid of it, as it only reminded her of when her son would ride it in the garden for endless hours. It had therefore remained in the back garden, no longer being ridden by the boy, but always keeping many happy memories for his mother alive.

Sora looked up from counting the number of rooftops that appeared to be on his right of the house where he lived, having just found out which one was Kairi's. He had heard the girl's cheeky question and he turned his head to face her, grinning softly. "No thanks, Kairi. I don't feel like a ride on that old thing. I much prefer riding in the balloon with you, looking down at everything there is to see on the islands with you – and admiring it all with you. That's much better, and I'm very happy that the two of us are doing that right now. I wouldn't have been able to enjoy any of this without having you here in the air with me."

Moved by what Sora had just told her, Kairi continued to gaze at him with widened, surprised eyes. The grin on her face faded away, quickly replaced by a shade of red that spread across both of her cheeks. Blushing deeply, she gazed down at the rooftops below, fixing her blue eyes on the one above Sora's house, which they were just flying over. She found it very hard to believe that she was the very reason why he was enjoying the balloon ride, rather than the incredible view they were seeing. As difficult as it was for her to believe, what he had said only proceeded to make her feel even happier, almost causing her to forget to look around to see other sights besides the rooftops.

Nikkou was looking down towards the two teenagers, having heard every word of what they had just said to each other. She smiled softly in their direction before turning around and walking across the basket to stand at the opposite end. The balloon had just flown over her house, and she wanted to catch another quick look at it from the air, since she was unlikely to do it again. She managed to spot the old tricycle in her back garden and took a good look at it before it was blocked from view by the roof of her house, due to the balloon floating further away and beginning to leave the estate behind. Her small smile changed to a wide grin as a few memories of Sora as a toddler racing around her back lawn on the tricycle briefly ran through her head. As she looked over her shoulder to look towards her son, now sixteen-years old and doing everything he could to bring happiness to a girl he had been close friends with for a very long time, her grin grew even wider.

A small gust of wind from the south blew at the large, blue envelope. It was just as strong as the breeze that had caused the balloon to start floating east, so with the envelope tilting slightly for a very quick moment, it began to float north. It soon returned to its upright position, proceeding to carry the basket along what was to be a very long route through the air if there was not to be another gust of wind that would alter its path through the air.

"The wind's changed direction, as I knew it would do," the pilot announced loudly, the tone in his voice filled with pride. He wanted his three passengers to learn from what he was telling them that he knew a lot about the wind and how it travelled. He decided not to tell them, however, that he had not had any idea of _when _exactly the wind was to change. "Looks like we're in for a very good and long flight."

Excited at the thought of the ride through the sky being long, Kairi and Sora glanced at each other, both shooting wide, happy grins, before running to the side of the basket which was facing the direction they were travelling in. They stood beside each other, quickly looking down to see where they were now flying over.

More rooftops made with orange tiles were below them, for they were soaring over another housing estate - which was very different to the one where they lived. Instead of making up several rows of streets, the houses in this estate were all spaced out. The two teenagers were therefore also able to see all of the light green grass that filled up part of the wide area's ground, a few elm trees growing on them. They could also easily see the many paths that went past each house – with some unusual-looking streetlamps standing along each side of them - leading down to the small, sandy beach with very little space at the very end of the estate. The houses looked more posh in comparison to the ones in the estate where Sora and Kairi lived. Their stone walls had been dyed purple, and many of them had more than two levels. A few of the houses had extra bedrooms built above the roofs, so from the outside, they appeared to be small towers sitting in the middle of where the tiles were. Having never been inside any of the houses, Sora and Kairi did not whether any of the occupants owned modern technology or not. They could tell, however, that a few of them did not have electrical fireplaces. They had learnt this by often seeing thick smoke pouring out of the chimneys that had been built on top of most of the smaller houses, as well as one of the larger ones. As the two teenagers gazed down towards to sea, they spotted – much to their excitement - the rear of the smaller island. The green of the many treetops covered the highest points of the rocky, red cliffs. From up in the air, the fairly long distance across the sea between the two islands appeared to seem very short – and the smaller one looked even smaller.

The balloon was just about to leave the scattered houses behind, floating in the very direction where one of the paths led over a small hill. The entire estate could be seen by anyone who stood on top of it, and on each side of the path, bushes that showed off brightly coloured flowers were growing while tall beach trees stood a few metres away. Another of the strangely-built streetlamps stood on what was the teenager's left side of the path. Rather than being modern, like the streetlamps in the streets where they and their friends lived, its body had been made of poles of wood tied secured together by black electric-proof bands to make it look like an upturned L-shape. On the piece of wood that was being held horizontally, three light bulbs were being held upside down. Apart from the people who had built the streetlamps, nobody on the islands knew how the electricity travelled through the wooden poles and into the bulbs.

Noticing the top of the small hill, Kairi's eyes widened at the sight of it. The last time she had stood on the top of it had been the day school had broken up for the summer. She had attended, but Sora and Riku had not, due to being away for over a year. Kairi thought to herself about when she had been standing on the hill, telling Selphie about how she had – to her guilt – forgotten Sora's name, due to Naminé removing her memories of him by the cruel orders of Organization Thirteen. The hill had also been where Kairi had heard Sora speak to her for the first in a long time, thanks to Roxas communicating with her inside her head when he had mistaken her for Naminé. She could still easily remember Sora's voice (which had broken by that time) speaking to her for the first time in a year – with the boy, despite being unseen by her, not resisting a chance to tease her.

"_You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi! Okay, I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an 'S'."_

Kairi looked up from the path below to turn towards Sora. Immediately, she saw that he was grinning widely at her, as if he was reading her thoughts. She did not know whether he was or not, but she grinned softly back at him. She knew he had only been harmlessly joking around when he had learnt she had forgotten his name, and he had not taken offence. Despite this, the terrible feeling she had about forgetting his name had never gone away. She had felt beyond happy the moment she had remembered it, due to the little clue he had given her, just as much as she was that very moment to have the boy she had missed so much at her side, riding on board the balloon with her.

Turning away from Sora, Kairi locked her eyes down onto what was far below them. To her delight, she saw that they were about to fly over two well-known sights which the path led its walkers past. She, along with Sora and many of the teenagers who lived on Destiny Islands, saw them every weekday for six weeks, but had never looked down at them from the air before. Although they appeared to be very huge on the ground, they would seem very tiny from the height where the balloon was flying.

The first sight - which had just come into view - was a very long and wide stretch of grass that had been built into a soccer pitch. It was on the two teenagers' left side of the path, and on each of the wide ends, goal posts had been placed. They had been secured firmly into the ground by the bottom ends of the white bars that were vertical and diagonal. String nets were fastened across the back of the goals to prevent the balls from going beyond them once goals were scored. As with any soccer pitch, white lines had been painted along the edges of the field, showing where the ball could only be kicked around straight from player to player, and the centre circle was shown clearly in the centre with a spot in the middle to show where players would kick off from. Not many girls had stepped onto the soccer field, but plenty of boys went there, bringing a ball with them to kick to each other and try to shoot into the goals.

"There's the old soccer pitch!" Nikkou quickly exclaimed as soon as she saw the field with the goal posts at each end below them. She was still standing at the side of the basket she had walked over to when she had wanted to continue to look down at her house as they had been leaving it behind. Her arm was stretched out, pointing down at the pitch. "You haven't been on there for years, Sora!"

Sora glanced over his shoulder to shake his head at his mother before gazing back down at the pitch, a small smile on his face. When he was a toddler, his mother used to regularly take him and Riku there. They would always bring a ball with them, and as soon as they would arrive there, whichever boy was carrying the ball would run straight onto the grass, trying to shoot into the goal that he was nearest before the other boy was even ready to start playing. Sora had not played a game of soccer on the field for years, and although he always walked past it when making his way to the next sight they were about to see from the air, he never actually took any notice of it.

"How come you don't play there anymore?" Nikkou asked her son curiously. She really missed the days of when she would take her son to the old pitch. She did not expect him to want her to join him there anymore, as he was now a teenager, but she had never found out the answer as to why Sora had suddenly lost interest in soccer – a sport which many boys his age happened to love.

Looking over his shoulder to face his puzzled mother, Sora gave her a wide grin. "Because Riku and I found something better to do than trying to keep a soccer ball away from each other, Mom. We prefer to spend time at the beach. Even though we already liked to do that when we were younger, playing soccer was something we did before a certain girl arrived on the islands. We've loved her company ever since we first met her, so we have someone wonderful to join us whenever we go down to the beach and look out at the sea. We don't wanna bore her by having her stand at one side of the soccer pitch and watch as we try to score goals. We've always preferred going to the beach, all three of us enjoying ourselves."

Kairi blushed hard as she gazed up softly towards Sora, having heard everything he had said about why he did not go to the soccer field anymore – and how he always loved it whenever she joined him and Riku at the beach. She would not have minded if they had taken her to the soccer field. It would have probably been fun to watch the two boys trying to tackle each other for the soccer ball and attempt to shoot it into each others' goals. She could have even joined in the matches they played and found out how good her own soccer skills were in comparison to theirs. It did not matter to Kairi where they went – for she had always loved the company of the two boys just as much as they had always loved hers.

Nikkou smiled softly, taking a glance towards Kairi before facing her son again. He had not turned towards the girl he had just been talking about, so the young woman could tell that he was not aware Kairi was looking up at him with a blush. Having noticed how deep the shades of pink on her cheeks were, Nikkou could tell how Kairi was feeling after hearing every word Sora had said about her. She knew her son sincerely meant what he had just said, and she was very happy that her son had formed a wonderful friendship with the girl when he had first met her at the age of five.

Turning away from her son, Nikkou looked down at the ground below them. They were still flying in the same direction which the path was leading, and she saw that there were more stretches of grass going on after the football field. She was just lifting her head up to see if she could see any more housing estates nearby – when she spotted a building that made her eyes green eyes widen with excitement. Although it was difficult to see most of the building, she could clearly see its long roof, which had been built with dark red tiles. She pointed out down towards it, wanting the two teenagers to see it. "Look what I've just spotted!"

Their ears perking up at the sound of Nikkou's voice, Sora and Kairi removed their eyes from the path the balloon seemed to be following. They walked over to the side of the basket where Nikkou was standing, resting their arms out onto the top edge. They gazed down towards where her arm was stretched towards, spotting the red tiles of the building she was getting excited over. Kairi grinned widely at the sight of it. She had already known they were going to pass it when they had been floating past the soccer pitch. She was very overjoyed to look down at it from a hot air balloon.

Sora, however, was not at all pleased to look down at the building that was making Kairi and Nikkou feel excited. He did not care that he had been granted a chance to experience a view of it which none of the other teenagers who went to this building had ever been given. The sight of it – even from high up in the air – made him feel slightly grumpy, as it often did when he saw it while standing on the ground. He severely hated the building - which happened to be Destiny Islands High School.

The building was of a very long length from its left side to its right one, although from up in the air, it appeared to be very short. Its four walls, which had been built with the use of thousands of sandy-coloured bricks, were several metres high, for the school had four storeys, just so that it would have enough classrooms when it was being constructed. Four rows of classroom windows (one row for each storey) ran along each of the walls, and in the centre of the front wall, a pair of glass double doors served as the main entrance to the school. People who often made their way to the school (usually pupils and staff) would reach it by following the path, which split as soon as reached the spot where the school stood on its left. Instead of going straight ahead, the people going to the school would have to turn left and walk towards the enormous building. As they would approach it, they would walk past a large rock on the right of the path. It had been carefully chiselled at so that it would be thin enough to serve as a sign. The name of the school had been engraved onto the smooth side that was facing away from the building.

Sora frowned down hard at the red roof tiles of the school before walking over to the side of the basket he had just stepped away from. He was glad the balloon was still going straight ahead instead of turning left where the path split. "I don't wanna look at school, Mom."

Nikkou and Kairi looked up from the building that was far below them to turn towards the unimpressed boy. They were only half surprised that he was not happy to see his school from up in the air. The sulky way he was behaving was exactly the same as how he would act whenever he would be making his way along the path each morning he had to go to school.

The boy's mother wanted him to feel cheerful about seeing the building he hated from high up in the air instead of miserable. "But, Sora, you get to see the school from a hot air balloon. I bet no one else who goes there has even done that before."

"I really don't care, Mom." Sora's frown softened slightly as he looked over his shoulder to face his mother. He did not want to upset her by glaring at her, but he still wanted her to know he had no interest in looking down at the building. "I really, really don't like school. I'm on summer vacation now, and I don't want to even _see _school. I wanna look at much better things from this balloon than that horrible place."

Kairi giggled softly at Sora's attitude as she turned to look down again at the school, which they were starting to leave behind. She knew how much Sora hated school – just as much as he hated the class work and homework the teachers constantly tortured him with. She did not mind going there, as it meant seeing her friends. Gazing down at the building from a floating hot air balloon was very amazing for her – and it was definitely a lot more fun than the homework she was often given by the teachers. The worksheets, essays and projects she was ordered to do each week of the school term always took up a lot of her precious hours after she would arrive home, but she would always make sure they would not interfere with spending some time with Sora and Riku.

Sora was still facing down towards the path below them, noticing that they were about to float over another part where it split. The balloon would no longer be following it, as one way led off to the left while the other trailed down to the right, leading its walkers towards another housing estate. As a small grin appeared on Sora's face, his eyes widened as they followed the path along the way that led to the left. It had been built along a small, grassy slope, coming to an end at a brown, wooden gate that had been built as part of an old fence. Sora took in the objects that were behind the gate and far below him, recognising each one of them, despite how difficult they were to see from up in the air. "Look what place I can see, Mom. It's far better to look at than school."

Not knowing what her son was talking about, since she did not walk past the school as often as she used to, Nikkou stepped away from Kairi's side to stand to the right of her son. She peered down towards where on the ground he was looking towards, and spotted the seemingly small objects that were interesting him. At first, she could not make out what they were, due to how high the balloon was above them. It was difficult for Nikkou to recognise them or get a picture in her mind of how they would look if she were standing closely to them – until she noticed they were all surrounded by the wooden fence and could be led to by the path. She glanced towards her son, grinning in remembrance, before looking back down at the objects. She could now tell what they were. "You haven't been _there _for a while, either. Have you, Sora?"

Kairi gazed in puzzlement towards the mother and son, wondering what place on the island they were looking at. Despite having now lived on Destiny Islands for ten years, there were still many parts she had never seen or heard about. The furthest she had ever walked along the path from the estate where she lived was to the double doors of the school. She had never walked straight ahead whenever she came to the split in the path next to the building she went to for six weeks a school term, so she did not have any idea of what she would find if she ever chose to walk that way. She knew she was now about to find out, so to get a better look, she walked over to the side of the basket where Sora and Nikkou were standing together, looking down happily at the sight they were familiar with. Kairi stood on Sora's left side, lowering her head to see a place on the island the boy had seen many times before while she had not seen it once.

They were looking down at an old, deserted playground, which was on top of the small hill, its equipment for children to play on surrounded by the fence. In the middle of the play area, which had its ground covered by black rubber mulch, Kairi could make out with her eyes a climbing frame. It was made up of three parts which many children would enjoy; they would first have to climb up the flat, wooden board that had been painted green and placed vertically at one end of the climbing frame with small holes cut out of it to allow them to easily put their hands and feet into as they would pull themselves up it, then they would have to walk over the steel bridge, which had hand bars on each side and a coat of canary yellow paint, before doing the final and best part of the climbing frame, which was going down the long, silver slide.

Smiling softly, since she was sure she would have loved the climbing frame if she had ever seen it when she was younger, Kairi ran her eyes over the rest of the playground equipment. On the left of the climbing frame was a pair of swings, which were hanging by their long metal chains from one of the red bars that made its frame. Behind them was a dark blue see-saw with yellow seats that looked like tiny dots from up in the air. Standing near the bottom left corner of the playground (which happened to be the closest corner to the gate) was a roundabout. It had two black, metal seats opposite each other and green hand bars going across each curved end for children to hold onto so they would avoid falling off while it was rotating very fast. At the right of the playground, which happened to have a lot of empty space on the rubber much, a basketball net was being held to the top of a tall black pole that stood right in front of the fence, towering over the rest of the playground equipment.

Sora noticed the smile on Kairi's face, which told him she was interested in the playground. He grinned towards her, happy she liked the look of the place which he was familiar with. "Mom used to take me to that playground a lot when I was little – before you came to the islands. I used to play on the equipment for ages, but I was never able to throw a ball into that net. I'm pretty sure no kid has managed to do that. I really dunno why they had to put it up so high."

Interested in the playground even more, as she had just learnt it was another place Sora used to often visit during his toddlerhood, Kairi looked up from what was far below them to gaze at the boy. The smile was still on her face, although it had suddenly gotten slightly smaller. "You never told me about this playground, Sora. I would have loved to have gone there with you when we were little."

Sora let off a small chuckle, feeling quite guilty about not taking Kairi to the playground once in their lives. "Sorry, Kairi. I kinda forgot all about the playground when you came to the islands. I always loved going to the beach with you, as we always had fun there. If I had remembered the playground, I would have definitely taken you there. But now that it's back in my memory, I could take you there some time this week. Would you like that?"

The small smile on Kairi's face quickly grew into a wide grin, due to her happiness that had been formed by the sound of Sora's request. Even though she was too old for playgrounds, she really wanted to go with the boy to visit the one he used to play in when he was a toddler. She knew that she would find it very fun if he was there with her. She quickly nodded eagerly at Sora, already feeling as excited as she would have been if he had made the same offer when the two of them were five.

"We're just about to fly over the town now," the pilot said unexpectedly. He had been silent since he had bragged to his three passengers about knowing that the wind would change direction, for he had been admiring the view while keeping the balloon under control. "You'll be able to see how small it looks from up here."

The two teenagers glanced up towards the pilot, slightly surprised at the sound of him speak, before looking down at the ground again. The playground had disappeared from slight, since the balloon had passed over it without stopping, so what they were seeing now was just flat ground with nothing but bright green grass. They raised their heads to see how far away they were from the town – and instantly spotted a row of tall, dark brown multi-storey buildings up ahead. Amazed grins spread across their faces at the same time, both about as wide as the one that had appeared on Nikkou's face when she had spotted the buildings seconds in advance. If they had been standing on the spot on the ground they were now floating over, they would have had to walk two miles to reach the buildings, which would all appear to be at least fifty feet when they would finally arrive at them. From up in a hot air balloon, the buildings only seemed to be a few metres away – which would take them only a few seconds to pass over – and how tiny they appeared to be was unbelievable for Kairi. She did not think anyone else on the islands would have ever imagined the huge buildings to look so small.

A gust of wind blew at the envelope from the south, causing it to continue to float north at a quicker pace than before. Flying over the two miles of grass in a quicker speed than even the pilot had expected, the balloon was soon passing over the multi-storey buildings – which looked like tiny squares to Sora, Kairi and Nikkou. They were gazing down at the brown roofs in shock, as they could not believe how much higher up they were than the buildings. The majority of them happened to be apartments, although the one on the left end (which was much taller than the others, as well as a darker shade of brown) was an indoor market, full of hundreds of small shops that each sold various goods. Sora, Kairi and Nikkou had all visited the indoor market several times in their lives, so they had often walked up and down the long flights of steps that led from one level to another. They had even been to the very top floor once, just to see the view of the town from one of the windows. How tall they had felt by looking out at the town through the window was nowhere as tall as they were now feeling by gazing down in disbelief at the roofs of the buildings from a basket in the air.

Once the balloon had passed over the market and apartments, Kairi, with the wide grin of amazement still on her face, eagerly looked up to find out exactly how much of the town she could see from where they were flying. She was amazed to realize she could see as far as another row of buildings that happened to be at the very end. Excited, she looked down again to take in how the familiar sights of the town looked from up in the air. The taller buildings, like the apartments and indoor market, appeared to be extremely tiny with their rooftops looking like very small squares while the smaller buildings (most of them being shops) were not easy to make out. All of their rooftops seemed to had been built with the very same type of grey tiles. Kairi could only tell which buildings were which by recognising the roads and sidewalks that ran alongside them – and appeared to look like thin, dark grey lines to her. The cars that were gliding along the roads looked like little squares that were even tinier and much more brightly coloured that the buildings' rooftops. The sounds of their engines could not be heard from up in the air as they drove smoothly along the roads, passing the buildings along the way. Kairi turned to look downward to her right, her eyes meeting even more tiny, brightly coloured squares that were all standing still together, for she was gazing out at the car park. Some moving dots, which were almost impossible to see from the air, were making their way towards the parked cars. Kairi could still tell what they were, for she had seen many of them moving along the sidewalks and in and out of the buildings. She knew they were the top of people's heads.

"The town looks fantastic from up here," Sora exclaimed happily to the girl. He had been gazing down enthusiastically at all of the rooftops and roads they were all able to see, but he had now turned towards Kairi with a grin. "I never thought I'd be able to see so much of it all at once."

Kairi turned her head slowly to gaze up at Sora. Smiling softly at him, she gave a small nod, agreeing with his opinion on how the town looked from the air. "We can see all of the buildings' rooftops from up here, Sora. I've never been able to see that many of them from the ground. I can even tell which rooftop belongs to which building – just by looking at the roads."

"Then do you know which building that one is, Kairi?" Nikkou asked wonderingly, pointing down towards the ground with her right arm. She had been taking in the many rooftops they were flying over, trying to guess which ones belonged to the shops in the town she liked to visit more than others. Having spotted a rooftop which had immediately taken her surprise, her face was scrunched up in confusion as she gazed down at towards it, feeling extremely puzzled. "I don't think I've ever been to it before."

Giving a quick glance towards Nikkou, Kairi looked down at where in the town the woman was pointing. Instantly, she saw which building was puzzling her – and her blue eyes suddenly widened at the sight of it. She was not able to see the road that ran alongside it, since they were looking out at the back of it (as well as the rear walls of the other buildings it stood in between), but Kairi only had to look at the rooftop to get an idea of which building it was. She could see that the flat, square roof had been made with two sets of tiles that were different colours to each other. They had been set out so that from up in the air, the rooftop looked like a checkerboard – expect the square tiles were red and pink instead of black and white.

Knowing where she had seen the exact shades of the colours on the tiles, Kairi excitedly pointed down towards the coloured rooftop, nudging Sora with her elbow. "Look, Sora! There's Hearts and Kisses!"

"_Hearts and Kisses?_" Nikkou cried out loudly, her jaw dropping. She was suddenly feeling even more puzzled - as well as shocked - for she did not know why Kairi was shouting the words she had just repeated to her son.

Knowing what Kairi meant, Sora urgently gazed down quickly towards where she was pointing. He spotted the red and pink rooftop and grinned widely, thinking back to the day he had gone with the girl inside the shop that sold gifts for people to give to loved ones.

After a few seconds of gazing down at the colourful rooftop of the newest store in the town, Sora raised his head to look over his shoulder at his confused mother. Having heard her shout out the name of the shop in shock, he shot a small smile towards her. "Hearts and Kisses is a shop Kairi and I went to on the day you took us to town. It was that old building that had been abandoned – but it's now been bought and is looking much better."

"It sells lots of sweet things," Kairi added, now looking towards Nikkou and also smiling at her. "Perfume, chocolates, ornaments, pictures, frames and greetings cards. It's actually the place where I bought Sora's birthday card and the frame I used for my present to him."

Hearing what Kairi had just told her, Nikkou turned away from Sora to look at the girl. What she had heard made her feel surprised again, but a small grin slowly made its way onto her face. "You bought Sora's present and card…from a place that was called…Hearts and Kisses?"

Kairi nodded her head, still smiling towards Nikkou, but feeling quite puzzled. She could not understand why the shop she had chosen to buy her present and card to Sora from was making his mother grin. Since she was facing Nikkou, she did not notice the boy was looking towards her with a surprised expression that perfectly matched the one Nikkou had just given. He had not once guessed that Hearts and Kisses had been the place where Kairi had bought her card for him or the picture frame that the photograph of the two of them on Sunset Hill was kept inside.

Nikkou turned away from the two teenagers to walk over to the south side of the basket. Putting her hands on the top edge, she lowered her head to pretend she was admiring the rooftops and roads they were leaving behind. She was actually trying to hide from Sora and Kairi how wide the grin on her face was quickly growing. The pilot was looking towards her, and although he did not know any of the three passengers he was giving a flight to, he could tell what the woman was thinking. Having seen how well the two teenagers got along with each other during the flight and heard which shop they had visited together, he smiled towards the boy's mother, agreeing with her thoughts.

Sora and Kairi were looking over their shoulders towards Nikkou, confused frowns on their faces. They had not been fooled into thinking she had turned away from them just to look out at the view, but they could not understand what she was thinking or why she was grinning. They glanced towards each other (learning by their expressions that they were both equally puzzled by the way the woman was acting) before peering down at the ground - to realize they were about to enter the countryside of the main island. The envelope was about to carry the basket over the grey rooftops of the smaller buildings that stood at the end of the town. Slowing down slightly as it continued to travel through the air, the balloon passed over the final row of buildings, allowing Sora and Kairi to see the thin tarmac path that ran alongside them. The rooftops of the town's buildings had been replaced by fresh green grass which the teenagers knew stretched across many miles in the direction they were travelling in. While most of the roads had remained within the town, only one went on into the countryside, where white lines had been painted along the middle of it to keep the traffic that travelled at a fast speed along it each day on separate sides.

"I _love_ the countryside!" Kairi cried cheerfully, a happy grin reappearing on her face as she looked up to see the long road that was stretched across the miles of grass, disappearing into the middle of the distance ahead of them. She was very glad they were now flying over a part of the island she had always enjoyed travelling in with her adoptive father since she was a toddler. "It's always looked very beautiful – and I think it looks even nicer from up here!"

Turning towards Kairi, Sora read the expression on her face to learn how excited she was at the sight of the countryside from up in the air. A small smile appeared on his face, as he was very pleased she liked the view of the location they were now in. He looked up slightly to see that his mother had now stepped away from the south side of the basket and was now standing behind them, gazing down and around in awe at the mostly-green ground.

Sora looked towards the distance ahead, unable to understand what it was about the countryside that Kairi and Nikkou found interesting to look at. He had travelled though it in the front passenger seat of his mother's car many times in his life, but he never did take much notice of the sights they would pass. Even from up in the air, he could not see anything that he found interesting. All that was in his sight was the long, straight road that the balloon seemed to be following, the miles of plain, flat grass that was on each of its sides and a couple of thick, white clouds that were looming ahead of them in the sky, looking as though they were on the same level as the balloon. Sora turned his head quickly to look to his right, seeing even more of the stretches of grass. He wanted to know if there would be anything that was interesting for him to see while flying over the countryside.

A sudden pair of horrified, feminine gasps that came from the two people on the balloon who he cared about immediately caught his attention.

No longer worried about what they would be flying over, Sora urgently turned in panic towards Kairi and his mother. The two of them had terrified expressions on their faces that were almost identical. Their mouths were both hanging open wide, and while Nikkou's lips were frozen, Kairi's were trembling in fright. They were looking down towards the ground with wide eyes. It barely took Sora any longer than a few seconds to realize that they were looking something below them. The expressions on their faces told him that it was not something they were happy to spot, no matter how fantastic the view was.

Even though he was sure he would not like seeing what was causing them to look so shocked, Sora quickly turned away from Kairi and Nikkou to run his fear-filled eyes over the ground below. He caught sight of what they were looking at almost instantly, and he quickly understood why they were so frightened by the sight of it. It caused him to feel exactly the same way.

Standing on the left side of the road was a very ancient church. It was connected to the road by the gravel car park on its narrow right side. It had been built almost entirely of grey stone that had managed to stay strong throughout its many years of religious services. The main entrance was through a pair of brown, wooden double doors that had been built on the right of its front wall. On its left was the bell tower, which had a clock face near the top of each of its four tall walls, showing the time was twenty-five to five in the afternoon. Along each of the nave's stone walls were several brightly coloured windows, the sunlight bouncing off their blue and yellow glass. In front of the old building, standing in rows along the grass, were objects that appeared to look even more ancient. They were protected by a grey, stone wall that went around the area in front of the church, looking as though it was ready to collapse. The objects were difficult for Sora to see from the height they were at, but he could still tell what they were, and he knew exactly why they were scaring his mother and Kairi. They were none other than old gravestones.

For a few seconds, Sora locked his wide eyes onto the stone objects that were terrifying his mother and the girl he loved. He watched with horror as the gravestones appeared to grow bigger, due to the fact the balloon was floating closer towards the church. He eventually tore his eyes away from them as he turned towards his mother.

She had begun to tremble and – to her son's devastation – there were tears in her eyes.

Already feeling upset that his mother looked like she was about to start crying, Sora quickly turned away from Nikkou to gaze worriedly at Kairi. There were no tears building up inside the girl's blue eyes - for they had already started to run quickly down her cheeks.

Sora placed his left hand on the girl's right shoulder, the shame he was feeling building up by the second. He had correctly guessed that the reason why the gravestones had frightened his mother and Kairi and made them feel like crying was due to the fact there was a chance that in two weeks, they would be travelling to any one of the churches on the island – with him going there in a coffin. Sora felt tears build in his own eyes as he thought about his mother and Kairi, as well as the other people he knew, crying hysterically while lowering the coffin that carried him into a deep, rectangular, freshly-dug hole in front of a gravestone that had just had his name carved into, along with the date he was born and the date his life had been taken from him. It was a heartbreaking thought for Sora. He did not want his mother or Kairi to go through it – and he was growing very angry with himself, as his laziness on the day he had been badly sunburnt had given the thought a chance to soon become reality.

"Mom, are you alright?" Sora asked his mother with concern, turning back towards her. He saw that the tears she had built up had not fallen, but were still visible in her eyes. Sora was doing his best not to let his own tears escape from his eyes, as he did not want to cry himself any more than he wanted the two passengers in the basket who he loved to cry. He turned back towards Kairi, gently squeezing her shoulder. "Kairi…please don't be sad."

Kairi did not answer Sora. She did not even turn to look at him. She had gone completely still, frozen in her fear and heartbreak. Despite having looked up from the graveyard of the church, her thoughts were still filled with the frightening images of burying the only boy she loved. Her tears were flowing down her cheeks much faster. She did not seem to notice the boy who was gazing towards her with deep worry and sadness, nor did she notice the concerned pilot standing behind them, deciding not to ask what was wrong, as he did think they would want to share any of their business with him.

His concern for the girl growing rapidly, Sora looked away from Kairi while keeping his hand on her shoulder. He was trying to think of something to say in an attempt to cheer her and his mother up and stop them from crying. Nothing comforting came into his mind, but as he looked down towards the ground, his eyes suddenly widened again. He saw that they had passed over the church, and as they were leaving it behind, he could see that they were about to fly over something that he thought would make the tears in Kairi's and his mother's eyes go away. He pointed down towards what he could see, grinning widely in his excitement that had replaced his sadness within seconds. "Mom! Kairi! Look what I can see!"

Still gazing downwards towards the ground (although not taking any more of what was down there), Nikkou immediately heard her son and was surprised by how excited he sounded. She shook her head slightly to get the horrific thought she had just had out of her mind before turning it slightly to look towards where Sora was pointing. Spotting almost straightaway what was making him so joyful, a huge smile spread across her face at the sight of it. Raising her left hand, she pointed in the same direction where Sora was still stretching his arm towards. She wanted Kairi to take in what had quickly cheered her up. "Look, Kairi! Look what's down there!"

Kairi heard Nikkou's voice, and although the tears continued to leak out of her eyes, she frowned slightly in confusion at the woman's cheeriness. She turned towards Sora, growing even more puzzled when she saw the boy grinning in excitement as he continued to point ahead. She hesitantly turned her head to see what he was pointing at – and quickly let off an amazed gasp. The boy and his mother were nowhere near as excited as she was by the sight of what had suddenly made her feel extremely happy. It had caused her tears to stop almost instantly.

Kept inside a fenced-off area of grass on the right side of the road were a herd of American Saddlebred horses. They all had plenty of the wide, rectangular space to walk around within the four sides of the white, wooden fence that surrounded them. Some of the horses were energetically galloping around the space while others were standing still with their heads low, chewing hungrily on the grass inside their pen. They were all a rich chocolate colour, and it was difficult for Kairi to tell if they were all the same size or not. She did not mind this though, for all of the horses looked like wonderful animals to her – and she thought it was amazing to look down from the air to see so many of them together in one field. Raising her right hand as she gazed down towards the animals, she wiped the tears out of her widened eyes – as well as the tear marks on her cheeks – so that she could see them more clearly.

The balloon continued to float slowly above the long, straight road, making its way past the horses' pen. It could still be easily looked down at from the right side of the basket – which was where Kairi rushed straight to from the side that was facing the direction they were travelling in. As she quickly looked down in her fascination towards the ground again to lock her eyes back onto the animals below her, Sora watched her with a soft smile, the tears that had been in his own eyes gone. Nikkou was now standing beside her son, running her fingers gently through his soft, spiky hair. The horses had managed to make her feel much better as well. It had been her son who had pointed them out, and she felt extremely thankful towards him for allowing her to enjoy such a magical ride through the air above the main island.

As the basket was carried away from the horses' pen, starting to leave it behind, Kairi managed to pull her attention away from the animals kept inside so that she could turn it to Sora. Feeling just as grateful for the wonderful balloon ride as his mother was, she shot a wide grin towards the boy. The entire journey through the air had been fantastic for her, and she wanted to let him know that she really appreciated how he had spent so much munny that morning, just so that she could get a view of the main island she had never experienced before. "Sora…thank you so much for taking me onboard this balloon. It really is amazing. The whole journey has been amazing. Everything we've seen…has looked truly amazing. I've really loved every single second of it…and I'm so happy you're here on the balloon with me. It wouldn't have been anywhere near as fun if you were not here."

"I _had_ to be here, Kairi!" Sora replied, letting off a laugh. "I had to make sure you would enjoy the ride. I wouldn't be able to know if I had stayed on the ground and let you fly through the air without me."

"Well…I really have enjoyed it all...but I wouldn't have been able to if it wasn't for you," Kairi whispered softly, her gentle tone quiet yet filled with happiness. "Thank you so much, Sora."

"Yeah, thanks, Sora. I've loved it as well," Nikkou added gratefully, smiling widely down at her son as she continued to stroke his hair. "Thanks for taking me with you and letting me enjoy this wonderful ride. It's the best way I've ever travelled across the island."

Sora gave a huge, delighted grin in the direction of the girl whose happiness he had managed to bring. He felt he had really chosen the right way to thank her for the fantastic birthday party she had given him. Travelling over the main island in a hot air balloon and getting a different perspective of some of the many places they usually saw (as well as looking down at a few sights Kairi had never seen before, but still managed to love gazing at) had been a wonderful activity to do. Seeing how happy it had made the girl he loved feel made Sora very pleased he had chosen it.

He was also very glad that his beloved mother had managed to enjoy it, too.

* * *

**This chapter was pretty hard for me to write. One thing I had to do before writing it was decide what Sora, Kairi and Nikkou would see from the air as they would travel across Destiny Islands. I only managed to get in a few places that are seen in Kingdom Hearts II, since we don't really see that many parts of the main island. I even went as far as to draw out my own map of the island, just so I could decide the order the sights would be seen in. XD**

**Now all this talk of the island(s) brings me to the next bit of information I have to tell you about. I've realized that throughout the story, I've been making a major continuity error: I've been writing as though the beach which the characters usually visit is on the same island as the one where they live, and I've had them reach it just by walking to it from their streets – whereas in the games, it's on a completely different island, which they reach by travelling by boat. So before I can write the next chapter, I have to go through the entire story, look for where I've made this error and fix it. I'm not looking forward to doing this, and I have to make sure the edits are not shoddy. I'll try not to take long, and once I've done it, I'll be able to get on with the next chapter.**


	46. Change of Beach

**Hey, guys. I know it's been ages since the last update and I'm so sorry about that. :( One of the reasons is, as I explained in the previous chapter, there was a major continuity error going on throughout the story which I had to (and have done) fix. In between editing all the chapters that had this mistake, I had to go away on my holiday – and on top of all that, my life has now become much more busier than ever. But don't worry. I have no intention of letting that stop me from continuing to write this story. I will continue to write and write it until I finally post the final chapter – whenever that will be. :P**

**This chapter itself was another reason why there was such a long wait. I wanted it to be the length of the earlier ones. It did turn out to have something in common with the early chapters: when I thought it was going to be very short, it turned out to be the longest chapter to date. XD Hope the length doesn't put you off.**

* * *

Kairi gazed up in amazement, taking in the deep orange of the sunset sky above her. She had always loved admiring it from the beach of the smaller island, but had never thought about how far up above her it always was. From the right side of the basket - which the hot air balloon was continuing to carry slowly over the countryside - she was the closest she had ever been to the wonderful sight she always loved watching with Sora that appeared above the islands every summer evening. The white clouds the balloon was passing under had changed to pink ten minutes after they had left behind the field of horses. They looked much more gigantic than they appeared to be from down on the islands, but Kairi thought they were all just as beautiful. The entire sky appeared to be an even deeper shade of orange, due to the fact she was almost flying at its exact level. The only thing that was missing was the sun itself, which could not be seen anywhere in the sky, no matter how hard or far Kairi looked. She knew the reason for this though; at this time of day, it would now be thousands of miles in front of the smaller island, about to sink behind the horizon.

Sora's eyes were not entirely fixed to the orange sky he was under. How close he was to its amazing colour was not enough to distract him from taking glances towards Kairi, just to make sure she was happy and still enjoying the ride. He grinned widely in her direction, knowing that she was taken by the sunset sky which they had never seen from such a fantastic view. "The sky looks really wonderful, doesn't it, Kairi?"

Kairi was able to look away from the sky to turn towards Sora. Her eyes remained as wide as they had been when she had spotted the first pink clouds of the evening coming into view, but the soft grin on her face grew wider. "Whenever we've watched a sunset together, Sora, we've always had to look high up at the sky. Now we don't have so far to look up, since we're right under it and we can see just how beautiful it is from here. We just have to look down at the island we walk on, but the view of it which you've allowed us to experience is just as fantastic being close to the sky."

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" Nikkou commented agreeably, looking at both of the teenagers and grinning at them. "I haven't taken the time to watch that many sunsets, and I usually see them from the windows of our house. They must look very wonderful from the smaller island, do they?"

Kairi turned away from Sora and looked towards Nikkou. She was still grinning, but was also unable to believe that the boy's mother hardly ever watched the sunsets that could be seen clearly from the smaller island almost every evening, filling the sky with amazing colours that went over all three of the islands. "You should really come over to the smaller island one day and see just how wonderful the sunsets are from there, Nikkou. Sora and I have often told you how much we love sitting down together and watching when the sun go down. You ought to see exactly how beautiful a sunset looks from the islands you live on."

Nikkou let off a chuckle, shaking her head. "I'd be able to see them okay from the main island's beach. That's as far as I'd go, since I only go to the smaller one if Sora's late home – which is what I've done lots of times, as you know. It's you kids who go to the smaller islands, and I pretty much wouldn't want to go there. I wouldn't want to get in the way of the fun you have – or ruin watching the sunset for you."

Sora looked towards his mother, smiling softly without saying a word. He thought she was being a little too hard on herself, making herself sound like a killjoy when, over the years, she had always done her best to take him, Kairi and Riku on many daytrips or just make sure they were always having fun whenever his friends visited his house. At the same time, however, it was possibly a relief that she did not choose to visit the smaller island as often as he did. Given how overprotective she was, she would possibly find something there which was completely normal and harmless, but would send her into a huge, worrying state and make her feel the need to forbid him from ever visiting the island again – which would mean no more watching long-lasting sunsets on the beach with Kairi.

Looking out ahead to take what they were flying over back in, Sora's smile faded as he spotted some sightings that he usually saw in the part of the main island where he and his friends lived. Everything he was looking down at was located in a area on the island which he instantly had trouble taking in, for he did not recognise it from up in the air. He frowned slightly as he tried to work out where he was. "Mom, do we know where we are? I don't recognise this place from up here."

The thick, dark green tops of the tall countryside trees which the balloon had been passing over after they had left the horse pen behind had now been replaced by even taller beach trees. Their leaves were as large as the ones on the trees of the smaller island (as well as the same shade of green), but Sora had never seen such thin tree trunks. They were all standing together on the end of a grassy field that overlooked the sea. As the trees were partly spaced out on the ledge, Sora could easily see the hundreds of miles of salty water, which was reflecting the strong orange colour of the sky.

Immediately becoming interested in what Sora was looking out at, Kairi turned her head to see the thin beach trees and the rippling ocean behind them. Having never travelled with her adoptive father this far into through the countryside, the place they were flying over was completely new to her. She thought it was a really nice sight to look at, but could not help frowning over having no idea where she was. "I don't think I've been here."

"You haven't, either, Sora," Nikkou explained to her puzzled son. "I have, although it's been years since I came here. You weren't even born then. I can still remember how lovely it is here, though. There's a beach near here which I think we'll be able to see."

Having turned to his mother when she had started to tell him why he did not recognise the location they were up above, Sora stared at her while taking in what she had mentioned. How his mother had described the place made it sound like somewhere nice to visit with Kairi.

Feeling a little excited over the mention of the beach, Sora tried to see if he could spot any sign of it by turning back to look out at the view below him, squinting down towards where the ledge above the sea was. "I'd like to go down to that beach, Mom."

"Well, it looks like you're gonna get your chance now, boy," the pilot spoke out unexpectedly to him, having remained silent during their time over the countryside while keeping both eyes on the direction the balloon was flying in. His aching arm was still stretched upwards, but he was no longer gripping the cord that dangled above him from under the burner. He was now holding onto a handle on the side of the steel box that hid the burner, beginning to turn it clockwise. "We'll be landing very soon."

Sora immediately took a quick glance towards the pilot, his excitement growing at the thought of landing somewhere the beach would be near. As a grin grew across his face, he quickly turned to Kairi. "Would you like to visit this beach when we land, Kairi?"

The girl, who had been gazing towards Sora in as much excitement over the beach as he felt when Nikkou had mentioned it, grinned back widely at him and nodded eagerly. She turned away from him to look out at the horizon that could be seen easily from the basket – which she realized was starting to go down slowly. Lowering her head to see the ground far below them, she realized that it seemed to be coming closer, for the balloon was now sinking out of the air. She did not mind that her ride and chance to see an amazing view of the main island was nearly over. There was a beach somewhere below them - different to the one she usually visited - which she was looking forward to seeing. She peered down towards where the ledge above the sea was, trying to catch any sign of the beach.

Feeling very glad that Kairi wanted to go down to the beach, Sora quickly turned to his mother, his blue eyes filling up with hope. "Mom? Please can we go and have a look at the beach? Can you please show us where it is? The sunset is gonna end soon. Can we please go there?"

Nikkou laughed softly at her son's question, having expected it when she had seen how he had looked down from the basket after she had mentioned the beach to him. Knowing that he just wanted to go there to look at the sunset sky with Kairi, she smiled at him. "Okay, Sora. When we land, I'll show you where the beach is. I can remember the way around here – and I can also remember how beautiful it is. It'll be really lovely for me to go and visit it again."

"Thanks, Mom!"

Sora grinned gratefully at Nikkou before turning around to take in the view again. It was only now he learned that the balloon was going down towards the ground, as the sights below him appeared as they were moving up towards him, becoming much easier to see. The balloon was still flying forward as it lowered slowly towards the ground, passing over some fenced-off fields which had grass that was a much brighter green than it appeared in the evening atmosphere. Sora looked out at the direction they were floating down towards, trying to see if he could correctly spot where they were going to land. The same road which the balloon had seemed to follow along through the countryside was below them with a junction ahead. Sora could see that continuing to drive straight ahead would take vehicle drivers over a small, stone bridge that went over a long, narrow river that ran alongside the road that went right. Like the sea, the river reflected the orange colour of the sky. It would have impossible for Sora to notice its colour if the balloon had not yet started to descend. The level they had been flying at for the entire journey through the air would have made the river look like a thin, black line to him.

The pilot was looking past the river, keeping his eyes fixed onto what was beyond it. He turned the handle his sore hand was holding again, letting some more air out of the balloon. The roaring flame above him and his three passengers went out while the balloon continued to sink slowly out of the air, now only being a few metres above the tops of the trees that stood on the left side of the road that ran alongside the river. Behind the trees was a flat, green field that was even bigger than the one which the balloon had taken off from. The trees were more spaced out than the ones on the side of the dirt road that ran through the other field. They were also not as tall, which meant the pilot did not have to worry about hitting the tops of them whilst trying to make a landing.

Kairi and Sora gazed down with huge smiles on their faces as the basket managed to pass over the tops of the trees by a couple of centimetres. Now inside the field, it was sinking towards the grassy ground at a slightly quicker pace. The amount of time the basket had left of being carried in the air only lasted a few quick few seconds as it hit the ground roughly, causing the four people inside to cry out with fright. They looked around at the field to find that the basket was still moving, being dragged across the ground by the envelope. A light gust of wind strong enough to keep the balloon moving at a quick speed had blown swiftly into the field as soon as the basket had hit the ground. The envelope was tilted forward as it was blown across the field by the wind – causing the basket to also tilt as it dragged it along the grass.

Gathering in a quick second what was happening, Kairi looked down in horror at the floor of the basket. As well as shaking violently under her feet, it was starting to lift up at an angle. Feeling her feet starting to slip on the floor, Kairi quickly turned around to face the rear side of the basket. She urgently rose her hands up, trying to grab the top edge of the side to hold onto it and stay inside the basket - but found herself starting to fall backwards, missing the edge with both of her hands. Kairi let off a loud, frightened scream, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt her feet leave the floor. She prepared herself to tumble backwards out of the basket and hit the ground hard – until a hard suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly in mid-air.

Kairi instantly stopped screaming and opened her eyes in confusion, wondering how she had not managed to end up on the ground. The basket was still tilted while being dragged through the field, and she found herself staring up towards the burner with no flame. Some of the blue of the envelope could also be seen above her, although the envelope itself looked a lot thinner due to a lot of the air that had been inside it for hours being let out. Feeling the hand that was tightly but harmlessly gripping her wrist, Kairi realized it was not letting her fall. Having a very good idea who it was that was keeping her safe from harm, she looked up towards where the hand had come from. Her puzzled expression vanished, being replaced by a soft, small smile on her face that was directed to the boy who had managed to stop her from falling.

Sora was keeping a panicked but determined look down towards the girl. He had let out a horrified gasp when he had seen her start to slip while beginning to scream. Not a fraction of his second of fright had been wasted to grab Kairi's wrist and keep her from the painful landing she would have had outside the basket. While his left hand was keeping hold of her wrist, his right one was gripping onto the side of the basket, which meant in both of his hands, he was holding onto Kairi's safety. His slightly shocked mother was watching them both as she gripped onto the side of the basket which they were hanging from.

"Thanks, Sora," Kairi smiled up at him, knowing she did not need to worry about him losing his grip on her wrist and letting her fall. She turned towards the pilot, noticing he had stretched both of his arms across the outside of the basket's side that was on her right. A small frown appeared on her face, which she directed towards the man. "Is the basket supposed to be like this?"

"Yes, this often happens when a hot air balloon lands," the pilot explained without looking back at Kairi. He was facing away from her as he was trying to keep his arms from slipping off the side of the basket he was using to keep him from falling. "We were travelling a lot faster than you think. Don't worry; we aren't going fast enough for the basket to tip over. We'll stop now."

Once the pilot had finished talking, the basket slowed down to a stop. With the envelope no longer pulling across the field, it was unable to balance on the angle it had ended up at, so it fell back down to stand upright. The four people inside all shared a loud, startled cry as they felt the floor they had been trying to stay on hit the ground, but they were all relieved that they were no longer being dragged across the field while almost being forced to fall out of the basket. The envelope rose upwards until was floating over the basket that was able to hold it down to the ground, but it shrunk even thinner in size as the pilot - who had let go of the side he had been holding onto - let more air out of it by turning the handle above him again.

Nikkou let go of the side she had been holding to. Gently tapping her feet on the floor of the basket – taking in how it was now on the firm ground of the earth - she looked up at Sora and Kairi. She smiled at them both, noticing that even though they were standing upright again, Sora was now holding Kairi's hand instead of her wrist while facing her. "That's the end of our flight. It really was fantastic, wasn't it?"

Sora turned away from Kairi and towards his arm that was stretched towards the side he was hanging onto tightly with his other hand. He let go of the side, holding his hand up in front of his face and flexing his sore fingers. It had been painful for him to hold onto the side, for the edge of it had dug into his fingers while he had been using his other hand to hold onto Kairi's wrist. He did not mind though, as he had managed to save the girl from falling out of the basket and going through even worse pain than he had. His fingers quickly felt better with a few flexes and he turned back to Kairi with a smile, taking hold of her other hand in his.

The smile of happiness and appreciation that had been on Kairi's face faded as she looked down at her hands in Sora's. She was back to feeling as puzzled as when her wrist had been caught in mid-air by his one hand without her seeing. While it was nice to have both her hands in the boy's, she could not understand why he was holding them, as she was not falling again. Kairi looked up to face the boy in her confusion - only to see that he had stretched his left leg backwards to balance his foot on the edge of the side he had been holding onto, and was now quickly lifting up his right leg to place his right foot next to his left one.

Grinning widely up at Sora as he balanced himself on the side of the basket, Kairi squeezed his hands tightly as she allowed him to carefully pull her up by her own hands off her feet, which she managed to place next to his onto the edge. Now standing and balancing next to him, Kairi turned to face the boy, squeezing his hands again and still grinning at him. She bent her knees slightly, getting ready to jump off the edge of the side with him.

As Sora bent his own knees, he grinned back softly at Kairi and squeezed her hands in return. He sprung his legs upwards quickly, launching himself backwards off the side. Kairi, at the same time, had taken her own jump forwards and was now flying through the air, remaining beside Sora with her hands still in his. The soles of their shoes hit the dirt of the ground, which they had not walked upon for the previous several hours of the day.

Kairi immediately pulled her hands out of Sora's to throw her arms tightly around him. "_Thank you,_ Sora! Thank you so much for taking me on this balloon ride! It was truly wonderful and magical!"

Sora smiled happily down at the girl as he hugged her back. "I'm really glad you liked your surprise, Kairi. I had been wondering if you would like it since I thought it up last night. But I really wanted to do it for you."

Kairi slowly looked up at the boy, grinning softly at him as she felt her heart beating fast. "And I _did_ love it, Sora. I always love _everything _you do for me. And everything you do for me, I always appreciate. Thank you so much."

Keeping his arms around Kairi, Sora, with the smile still on his face, turned away from her to look towards his mother and the pilot. Nikkou was starting to climb out of the basket, her eyes looking down towards the ground and not taking in her son sharing a hug with Kairi. The pilot was not taking notice of any of them, either. He was looking up towards the even thinner envelope, which no longer had enough air inside it to remain floating. It sunk slowly out of the air, landing softly down onto its side next to the basket.

As Sora and Kairi broke their hug, Nikkou had finished climbing out of the basket and was standing on the firm ground again. She grinned at the two teenagers, about to ask them if they had enjoyed the flight – only to have her attention grabbed by something which seemed to be driving along the nearby road, which she quickly looked towards.

Seeing the direction Nikkou was gazing in and the expression on her face, Sora and Kairi turned to look in puzzlement over their shoulders. A white van was racing along the road, having just driven straight at the junction and now crossing the stone bridge. The teenagers could not tell, at first, what it was about the van which Nikkou was so interested in. It drove a few metres passed the open edge of the field that was next to the road - then suddenly turned to its right and drove along the grass, straight towards where the balloon had landed. Sora and Kairi were now able to see that, sitting behind the windshield, were two of the men in white coats that had been at the field where the balloon had taken off. One of them was driving while the other was sitting in the passenger seat. It was clear that they had both come to take the balloon away.

The van pulled up to a stop a few yards in front of where the woman and two teenagers were standing beside of the balloon. The driver pulled the handbrake up and switched off the engine before pushing the door open to step out of the van. He was older than his passenger, being tall with thick, black hair that was very short and wrinkles at the sides of his brown eyes. He took a few steps along the grass towards the basket, giving a smile towards the pilot. "When we saw you starting to land while chasing after you along the road, we had a feeling it would be here. It's where you usually land after flying for hours, isn't it?"

"Well, at this hour, I'm usually flying over here," the pilot answered braggingly, smiling back and feeling like he knew more than the man who had spoken to him. "The wind is usually calm by now, and if I try to go any further, the air in the balloon will run out. I know how to make a very safe landing here, as I've done that many times."

The man who had been riding in the passenger side of the van pushed his door shut after stepping out. He walked towards Sora and Kairi, a friendly smile on his young-looking face, which had light blue eyes and a very small nose. He stuck his hands into his pockets as he stood in front of the teenagers, a light gust of wind blowing at his short, sandy blond hair. "Did you like your ride in the balloon over the island?"

"Yeah, we loved it," Sora responded with a huge nod and a grin as wide as the one on Kairi's face. "Thanks for setting the balloon up and letting us ride in it."

The younger man smiled back at Sora, glad to hear that he and the girl had enjoyed their trip over the main island in one of the many hot air balloons he looked after. "We're just gonna pack up the balloon. Do you need a lift back? We can give you one."

Nikkou raised a hand and shook it to politely reject the younger man's offer. "No, thanks. We'll walk back to where we live. We're gonna have a look at the beach here."

"Okay," the man replied understandingly, still smiling as he took a glance towards where the envelope was lying. He saw that the pilot had climbed out of the basket and was helping his co-worker start to roll up the envelope, squeezing the remaining air out of it. As he began to walk towards them to help, the younger man looked towards the three people who had just been riding with the pilot inside the basket, giving them a small wave. "Enjoy your walk home."

Sora, Kairi and Nikkou all grinned as they waved back at the man before looking ahead at the straight stretch of road that went past the field. They started to walk together along the grass and away from the basket. Their feet had no trouble getting used to being back on the ground instead of high above it. The three of them passed the white van that was parked in the middle of the field and made their way up to the stretch of road, which they stood on.

As Nikkou looked to their left, which was the direction of the stone bridge and junction, Sora glanced around both ways, trying to see if any traffic was travelling on the road. Kairi was looking down at her feet, which she was tapping gently on the tarmac, trying to take in how solid it was after standing on the wicker floor of the balloon's basket for hours.

"Which way is the beach, Mom?" Sora asked Nikkou, still rapidly turning his head left and right. He felt that the road was safe to walk along - since it was now the evening and not many vehicles would be travelling at this hour - but he was trying to work out which direction he would have to walk along with Kairi to find the beach.

"It's down that road there," Nikkou replied, pointing out to the road that left the junction and ran alongside the river. She took a few steps along the tarmac, which was leading her to go over the bridge. "We'll gonna be following the river for a bit. We'll soon find the beach, as I know where it is."

Sora and Kairi remained where they were standing on the road, turning to face each other with small smiles on their faces. They were both looking forward to visiting a different beach to the one which they usually watched the sunset from. Turning back towards where the bridge was ahead of them, they saw that Nikkou was already walking across it. They took a few quick steps together to keep up with her, but chose to stay a few yards behind her.

As they walked onto the bridge, Sora and Kairi stood together on its left side. They looked out at the distance ahead of them which the river was flowing its way up to. The water was still the same orange colour of the sky, rushing endlessly through the deep channel that was in between the trees that stood on its left side and the tarmac road that ran along its right. Some small, green bushes were growing on the river bed with large rocks sitting nearby. The flow of the river was not strong enough to carry them out of the positions where they had remained in for such a long time, but it was able to wash past them easily without being stopped. Where all the water ended up could be seen in the distance. From the bridge, Sora and Kairi could see the wide ocean up ahead. It appeared to be more calmer than the river, and the shade of orange it was reflecting from the sky had become much darker. There was still no sign of the beach.

"It's a really nice river, isn't it?" Kairi mentioned admiringly to Sora, looking up from the flowing water below them to grin softly at the boy. He was standing on her right - his eyes locked onto the sea that was up ahead of them - so she could see past him that Nikkou had already turned left at the junction and was making her way down the road that ran alongside the river. Kairi stepped away from the side of the bridge and walked at a slightly fast pace down the road. She could hear Sora's footsteps behind her as he followed her down the left road at the junction.

With a few more large steps, Kairi was a few yards behind Nikkou again, which was the distance she decided to keep between them. "Is it a nice beach down here, Nikkou?"

"It is pretty nice," Nikkou answered without looking back at the girl. She had not realized that she had almost left her behind on the bridge with her son. "I visited it before I even came to live in the street where we all live. It isn't as big as the beach on this island or the one on the smaller island - but I think you two will like it."

Sora had now caught up with Kairi and was walking alongside her again. Having heard what his mother had just said, he grinned excitedly, looking forward even more to going to the beach they were all about to visit. He shot his grin down at Kairi - who was looking up at him with a soft smile - then rose his head and chuckled at what he was able to see through the trees that were standing on the other side of the river. "Those men are gonna be there for a while."

Wondering what Sora meant, Kairi turned away from him and looked to her left, still walking at the boy's side. As the nearby trees were a lot more spaced out than the ones in the field Sora had led her to that morning, she was able to easily see past them. The hot air balloon, despite lying on the grass and going through deflation, could still be seen as the girl walked along the road. Its basket was lying on its side while a lower fraction of the envelope had been rolled up by the three men, who were all trying to force remaining air that was inside out of it. Although it was no longer as round as it had been when Sora and Kairi had first seen it that morning and while it had been carrying them through the air across the main island, the envelope still contained lots of air, which the three men had to get rid of completely before they could take it back to their headquarters and return to their homes.

Kairi gave a small, sympathetic smile at the sight of the men trying to deflate the balloon. "Aww, they probably worked hard a lot this morning to get it up for us. And now they have to take it down."

"Yeah, but it's a good thing we didn't decide to wait for them to give us a lift home," Sora laughed. "We'd be waiting there for ages, and we'd miss getting to admire the sky from the beach."

Kairi turned back towards the boy and laughed softly along with him - until she heard a noise that had started to race endlessly through her ears. Feeling slightly surprised, she stopped laughing and stood where she was. She listened to the sound, trying to work out what it was.

Sora had seen the surprised expression appear on Kairi's face, so he had stopped walking the same time as she had. He looked down worriedly towards her, about to ask her if something was wrong - when he suddenly heard the sound she was listening to. It was coming from the direction they were walking in, where the river was flowing down towards. It took Sora a shorter amount of time than Kairi to realize what the sound was, but the two of them remained just as confused as when they had first taken it in.

It was the sound of water rushing - which had been in their ears since they had walked behind Nikkou along the road towards the stone bridge. The river, which they were still standing near, had been making a gentle gushing sound which matched the speed it was flowing at. The new flowing sound which filled the teenagers' ears did not match the speed the river was going. It had been quick to completely drown out the gentle noise it was making - but Sora and Kairi were unable to tell how such a level of the sound was being made.

"Look! Here's the waterfall which goes into the sea!" Nikkou called loudly to the two teenagers from several metres ahead of them. She was able to bring her voice up over the new, noisier sound of water. She was standing at the side of a curve in the road, looking over her shoulder with surprise at how far Sora and Kairi were behind her. "So we're nearly at the beach!"

Sora and Kairi were easily able to hear Nikkou's voice over what they now knew was a waterfall. Turning quickly towards each other upon learning that the beach not far, they both grinned widely before starting to run together along the road up towards where Nikkou was standing. Sora chose, however, not to run at his quickest speed, as he knew that Kairi would hardly be able to keep up with him if he did. He stayed at a fairly quick pace which allowed him to take large steps and let the girl stay by his side.

Making their way up to where Nikkou was waiting for them with a smile, Sora and Kairi stopped in front of her. They both stood at each other's sides, taking a few deep breaths and grinning tiredly at each other. The huge sound of rushing water could be heard even closer, now much louder. Looking towards their left, which was where the noise was coming from, Sora and Kairi could see that they were standing right by the sea. The river had reached the part of the island where it ended, and all of its murky water was falling out of the channel to create a very short waterfall that appeared to be just over one metre high. White bubbles could be seen at the bottom as the river entered the salty water of the sea.

Sora could feel a few tiny drops of water that were jumping out from the foot of the waterfall land onto his face. Wiping them away, he turned towards his mother, grinning at her. "This is a really nice waterfall, isn't it, Mom?"

"Yeah, I can remember seeing it years ago on my way to the beach. I don't remember being so small though." Nikkou shook her head with a light laugh before turning around, looking down towards where the road ran alongside the sea. Only a few metres of fresh, green grass were in between the dark tarmac and the short ledge above the salty water. Nikkou walked forward, continuing to make her way down the side of the road. "The beach is down this way. You'll be able to see it from the road."

Sora and Kairi stood where they were on the road for a few seconds to allow Nikkou to be a fair distance ahead of them, before they finally started to follow her, letting her lead them to wherever the beach was. Remaining at each other's sides, the two teenagers looked out at the wavy sea that the road was leading them alongside. The sound of the short waterfall they were leaving behind was getting quieter as their feet led them away from it. They were able to hear the soft, gentle sloshing of the salty water, which they could now see was also reflecting the deep pink of the evening clouds floating high up above it, as well as the strong orange of the sky. Hundreds of thin ripples were in sight, dancing on the surface. Neither Sora nor Kairi could see or hear any large waves that would be just like the ones that they saw endlessly washing one after another onto the beaches they saw nearly everyday of having fun together.

"Here's the beach! Down here!" Nikkou yelled to them from further up the road, which she was now standing beside on the grass. She was facing out towards where the sea was, her arm stretched as far as it would go and pointing downwards. "There's not much of it left to stand on, since the tide's been coming in! But it's as beautiful as I remember it! The sky and the sea look fantastic from down here!"

As soon as they heard every word she had shouted to them, Sora and Kairi turned their heads while still walking to look towards where Nikkou was standing. They immediately saw her stretched out arm - and both of their pairs of blue eyes filled up with excitement when they fell onto what she was pointing at. Amongst the green of the grass next to the road, on a much lower level, was a semi-circle of yellow. The darkness of the evening, which was now beginning to fill the island (even with the bright orange sky above it) partly hid the true shade of yellow the semi-circle really was, but it did not prevent Sora or Kairi from being able to tell it was sand. A new sound had reached their ears, and they could already see what was creating it: small, purple waves that were washing up onto the beach, having covered most of its sand and trying to reach the dry level at the back which always remained dry, every evening. Some grey, stubby rocks were sitting together on the right side of the dry sand while a pair of tall beach trees that were identical to the ones of the smaller island stood on the left side, wobbling slightly in the wind.

"There's the beach, Kairi!" Sora exclaimed, grinning widely as he rolled his eyes away from the beach up ahead to look at the girl walking alongside him. "It looks really lovely from here! Let's see if it's as nice as the one on the smaller island!"

Taking a quick grin back up at Sora, Kairi began to run at her highest speed along the road. She wanted to get up to the beach and admire the evening sky from it before a pitch black night sky could replace it. Facing ahead as the soles of her shoes hit the tarmac with each one of the huge steps she was taking, she could hear Sora racing behind her. She expected him to overtake her, which was something she was rarely ever able to do back to him whenever he would run past her, but he remained behind her as she finally managed to reach where Nikkou was standing.

After a few deep breaths, with the grin still on her face and her cheeks bright red, Kairi turned to take in how the sea looked from behind the beach. The pink clouds which were still floating high up in the sky above her had changed to purple, since the arriving night was about to replace the day that had just past. Their dark colour was reflected in the sea water, which Kairi thought appeared to look very beautiful. She took a few steps forward, the sand which she had never walked along before crunching under the soles of her shoes. She looked around herself to take in every sight of the beach. She thought it was a very wonderful place to visit on each evening of the summer, but she knew there was one thing missing that stopped it from being as amazing as the beach on the smaller island was during every sunset.

Kairi stood just in front of the edge of the remaining dry sand. The waves continued to slosh up onto the shore, not a drop from them reaching her shoes. She gazed out at all of the dark purple in front of her and up above her - which she thought was very different to the orange atmosphere that was most likely still lasting for as long as it could on the smaller island. "This beach looks really pretty in the sunset."

"It's quite different to the smaller island, isn't it, Kairi?"

Surprised by the voice that had come from beside her, Kairi turned to see Sora standing on her left. She grinned softly at him, knowing he had followed her onto the beach to admire the sea and the sky with her. His eyes were locked up towards the clouds above them, so Kairi turned her head back to look up at them. "Do you like it, Sora?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do, Kairi. It's a very different beach, and how it looks in the evening isn't the same as how the beach on the smaller island looks." Sora turned to look at Kairi, smiling at her. "But it's still a really sweet beach. And I'm glad the two of us could come here to see how nice it looks in the evening."

Kairi looked back at the boy again, grinning widely and softly at him. She was pleased to hear that the change of beach did not matter to Sora. He had still wanted to admire the sky from it as soon as his mother had mentioned it to him - and the fact that he wanted to do it _with_ her and _for_ made Kairi feel very happy. "I really love looking up at the sky from here with you as well, Sora."

"Is it so different here because we can't see the sun?" Nikkou asked the teenagers wonderingly, having just left the road she had been leading them along and stepping off the grass to walk onto the sand. She took a few steps forward to stand a few feet behind Sora and Kairi, looking up at the sky in puzzlement. "It's nowhere up here in the sky."

"No, we won't see it now, Mom," Sora explained, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Nikkou. A small grin was on his face and his cheeks were red from blushing after Kairi had told him she was enjoying looking at the evening sky with him. "Had we come here a bit earlier, we probably would have seen it, but not over the sea. It'll now be going under the horizon Kairi and I look out at from the smaller island. The sky will probably still be orange there."

Nikkou took a glance to her right, which was where north was. The smaller island was a fair distance away from where she and the teenagers were now (although they did not have too far to walk back to the estate where they lived), and it was getting the best of the sunset. She turned back to look towards Sora and Kairi, both of them with their backs to her as they remained standing side by side, gazing up at the darkening sky. Nikkou grinned widely as she pictured the two of them sitting next to each other on the pier or the sand of the smaller island, watching the sun sink down from an even brighter sky above them. It was something Sora would usually tell her that they had done, after coming home from spending an entire day on the smaller island with Kairi. The mother of the boy was very pleased to be able to see something that was at least close to what she was picturing. Her son and the girl who was his best friend, standing together on any shore with an evening sky above them, was the main detail she wanted to see.

Kairi took in the dark-coloured clouds that were floating slowly through the sky and over the sea, managing to send the lighter ones that had been the first to catch her eyes further away from view. The orange sky was no longer as bright. Dark blue traces were beginning to fill it up, giving the islands a different atmosphere which would remain for several hours until the sun came back up. The beach was still just as beautiful in the night to Kairi. She had not stopped loving looking out at the sea - which was still clearly visible in the growing darkness - while standing next to Sora. With a small smile on her face, she listened to the sound of the calm waves washing gently onto the shore and the light breeze rustling the large leaves on the trees - which all became suddenly drowned out by the nearby rumbling noise of a car's engine.

Annoyed by the new sound, which was ruining what a quiet and relaxing place the beach was, Kairi looked over her shoulder and towards the road behind her. As the noise of the car's engine grew louder, two strong, white beams of light shot out from the direction of the road that appeared to be on Kairi's left. The beams were almost blinding as they lit up the tarmac, standing out in the darkness. What they were shooting out from came into view: they turned out to be lights from headlamps at the front of a small-sized car that was driving along the road. It was not going at a fast speed, but its rumbling engine was creating a huge noise that filled the entire beach. The fading orange light that was only just managing to shoot down from the blackening sky and remain in the dark atmosphere for a few more minutes was what allowed Kairi to see the bright green colour of the vehicle. She was hoping it would leave the beach behind quickly so that she could go back to admiring how wonderful it was in the quietness.

The car only went even slower, not even being halfway past the beach. The person driving - who could not be seen through the windshield for the darkness - was clearly braking for a stop, since the red tail lights could now be seen shooting from the rear of the vehicle. It made a slight steer to the right to pull up onto the side of the road, its engine still humming loudly. The door to the driver's seat could be heard opening, which led Kairi to frowning deeply at the vehicle. She assumed whoever was getting out was just going to leave it with the engine still running, allowing the noise it was making to keep her from listening to the beach's natural, calming sounds. She looked towards the front of the car to try to see the person who was annoying her - and her frown instantly faded, being replaced by a surprised expression with her jaw hanging open.

Sora, who was looking back out towards the darkened horizon, heard the sound of the car's engine running and the door that had just opened being pushed shut. The grin and blush that had both remained on his face finally vanished as he wondered who was nearby and leaving their car with its engine still on. Wondering if the person was going to walk down onto the beach, he started to turn his head right to look towards the road - freezing it when he saw the stunned look on Kairi's face. As he already started to panic while noticing she was fixing her expression in the direction of the car, Sora quickly turned his head to see what had alarmed her - and he instantly became very surprised when he easily saw (despite how dark it was) who was standing by the car and staring down towards them.

It was the woman who they had met at the field where the hot air balloon had taken off from.

She seemed to be able to recognise the two teenagers, as she gazed down in their direction, a small amount of surprise visible in her knowing expression. Starting to walk away from her car and towards where Sora, Kairi and Nikkou stood on the shore, she raised her left arm and pointed out at the surprised boy as she stepped out onto the sand. "You're the boy who went in one of our hot air balloons today, aren't you? Is it Sora?"

"Yeah, I'm Sora," the boy smiled up towards the woman. "We've just landed back on the ground in your balloon. We've been flying in it all day."

The woman stood in front of the three people who she had distracted from taking in the sights of the beach. She had spotted them all standing on the shore when she had started to drive her car past, and there had been enough light left in the night to allow her to see how familiar Sora and Kairi looked from her windshield, even with their backs to her. She took in the boy's spiky brown hair and the girl's shoulder-length red hair, recognising them as the two teenagers she had seen that morning, as well as being handed a lot of munny from one.

She turned towards Nikkou, who she had also seen from her car, but did not recognise. A curious expression appeared on her face. "Are you Sora's mother?"

"Yeah, I am. Have you met him before then?" Nikkou asked the woman, puzzled. Having not seen her before, she could not think how the woman could have met Sora and known that he had been flying in a hot air balloon.

"We met at the field where my workers put up the balloon, and Sora paid me." A small smirk appeared on the woman's face as she turned to look at Sora again. "Did you enjoy riding in the balloon?"

"Yeah! We all loved it!" Sora shot a wide grin towards the woman as he gave her huge nods, not noticing the way she was smiling. "Flying through the air in the balloon was fantastic! And we enjoyed looking far down at lots of the places on the island which we usually see! Thanks for putting the balloon up for us!"

Nikkou smiled softly at her son, due to how polite he was behaving, before turning to look at the woman again. "Yeah, we all enjoyed ourselves up in the balloon."

Kairi was frowning slightly towards the woman without saying anything, knowing exactly what the smirk on her face was over. Although the girl had loved the balloon ride as much as Sora and Nikkou had, she had not liked the way the woman had behaved when she and Sora had met her that morning. She had been very eager to take lots of Sora's munny away from him, and had also been rude to him while he had been making sure he had enough to give. Kairi was beginning to feel bad again, as she knew Sora had only given away so much of his munny to make sure she had a wonderful day of travelling through the air. She could tell that the only thing the woman was bothered about was having a lot of munny given to her by her customers.

"Are you looking for the balloon?" Sora asked the woman, thinking he knew why she had been travelling along the edge of the island at the beginning of the night. "It's over in the field by the river. We've seen your workers and the pilot start to put it away-"

"No, I'm not looking for the balloon," the woman interrupted, still smirking as she started to walk backwards along the sand and away from them. "I'm going to the shopping centre. I'm gonna buy myself loads of really nice things with all the munny I have."

Kairi's frown deepened with growing anger. She knew the munny the woman was talking about was the large amount that Sora had given her that morning. She had made sure the boy had given her every orb that made the total of two-hundred and seventy munny, and now she was already taking it out with her to spend it all on herself. Kairi realized she was right about the woman being someone who thought only about munny and what she could buy with it. She now disliked her even more, and felt even worse about being the reason why Sora had given her so much of his own munny to be spent all on herself.

The woman, having walked backwards as far as the grass in between the sand and the road, turned around and made her way over to her car. She did not think she needed to say goodbye to the people she had just been talking to. Walking around the front of the rumbling parked vehicle, she stood beside the door to the driver's seat, pulling it open and climbing inside. She sat down in the seat, shutting the door behind her before putting her seatbelt on. Feeling ready to carry on driving to the nearby shopping centre, where she would spend all of the money she had been given that morning on many things that she wanted, she took hold of the steering wheel in her right hand and the handbrake in her left hand while placing her right foot onto the gas pedal.

Quickly releasing the handbrake, the woman placed her left hand onto the steering wheel - but as she pressed down with her foot on the gas pedal and started to steer out to the left to be driving on the correct position in the road, the car suddenly jerked fiercely and repeatedly, causing the alarmed woman to jump in her seat. Trying to keep her hands on the steering wheel as she was thrown about, she tried to steer the car slightly to the right to travel forward down the road. The car only managed to take one large jerk forward before finally stopping where it was, its noisy engine no longer running. Recovering from the shaking she had been given, but glaring hard in annoyance, the woman grabbed the ignition key - which had still been in its slot when she had left the car to speak to Sora, Kairi and Nikkou - and turned it to try to start the engine back up. The car remained sitting motionless on the road, not making a sound. The woman gripped the key tighter in her frustration as she looked away from it - and the large glare on her face deepened when she saw that the dial on the gas metre was pointing down to the small 'E'. She would be unable to drive away, for - to her growing frustration - her car had completely run out of gas.

Furious, as she knew she would not be able to go straight to the shopping centre or even to her house, the woman reached over with her right arm to the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat next to her. She pulled open its door and picked up a small cell phone that had been sitting on top of a pile of CD cases. Shutting the glove compartment back up and taking off her seatbelt, the woman opened the car door next to her seat and climbed out. She rested her right elbow onto the car's roof and looked down at the screen of the cell phone as she began to search through her contacts list for a particular telephone number.

The woman did not notice that Sora, Kairi and Nikkou were walking up towards her. From the shore, they had seen - with surprise - the car jerking about before coming to a stop without moving again. It had been enough to tell them that something was wrong with the woman's vehicle, and when they get had seen her get out, Nikkou had started to make her way along the sand towards her to find out what the problem was and see if she could help. Sora and Kairi followed the boy's mother, both interested to know what was wrong with the car, but neither of them really feeling any sympathy for the woman (although Kairi was the only one who felt she had a reason not to be concerned about the woman being unable to drive away).

Nikkou stood on the grass next to where the car's engine had stopped it from moving. She turned to look at the moody woman, noticing she was pressing away at the keys on her cell phone. "Is there something wrong with your car?"

"Yeah, there is!" the woman spat angrily, looking up from her phone to glare at Nikkou. She was even more annoyed now to have been asked about what had just happened that had angered her. Noticing Sora and Kairi had just come up onto the grass to stand next to Nikkou, she gave a quick glance towards them - the glare remaining on her face - before turning back to face the woman who had just asked her the question. "I've run out of gas. You haven't got a can of it, have you?"

"Oh no, sorry. We left my car back at my house," Nikkou chuckled humorously as she shook her head, not noticing how hard the woman was glaring at her. "We're gonna walk back to our street now. Why don't you walk back to where you live?"

The woman glared even more deeply at Nikkou, seemingly baffled by the suggestion she had just been given. "I'm not gonna walk all the way back to my house! I'm gonna-"

"The balloon is over in the field by the river, as I told you earlier," Sora interrupted her, thinking he was being helpful as he pointed out with a grin in the direction of the field where he had landed in the balloon. "But when your workers came along, they started to pack it away. I dunno if they would have finished yet, but you could look there in case you might be able to fly home."

Having heard what Sora had suggested and thinking his idea was stupid, the woman looked away from Nikkou to shoot her glare at the boy. "I'm not gonna fly in that silly balloon, either! I'm gonna phone the nearest gas station and ask them to bring me a can of gas! Then I'll be able to drive away from here!"

She looked back down at her cell phone, taking no notice of the three stunned expressions that were being shot towards her in response to how rude she had just been to the mother and her son. The number she had been looking for in her contact list was displayed on the screen. She pressed the green key and held the phone to her ear, listening to the ringing that was going through to the gas station she was trying to contact.

The woman stood with the phone to her ear in silence for a few seconds, then finally spoke aloud as soon as she heard someone on the other end of the line answer her call. "Hello? Is this Petrolman's Gas Station? Only I've run out of gas by the beach a few miles away from where you are. I need you to bring me a can of gas. How much is that gonna cost me?"

Pausing to allow the information she needed to be passed onto her, the woman suddenly frowned hard. She appeared to be full of shock and disbelief. "What? Your gas can't cost that much! I'm not gonna-" She paused again, letting off a small, defeated grunt. "Alright. You'll be paid when you get over here. Just don't be too long."

The woman held the phone she was holding away from her ear and pressed the red key. She let her arm fall, feeling annoyed as she frowned into space.

"You can get a can of gas then?" Sora asked her quietly as he stared up at her. He was still slightly offended over the way she had rejected his suggestion of how she could travel without her car, but wanted to know if she would be able to drive away.

The woman had instantly turned to Sora as soon as she heard him speak to her. Her hardening frown was now being shot straight at him. "Yeah, I can get a can of gas - but I've gotta pay a lot of munny for it! I can't believe how expensive gas from that station is! It's gonna cost me nearly all the munny I've got right now!"

Kairi was finally able to give a wide grin, which she directed straight at the woman. She let off a few small laughs, feeling a little better to hear the munny Sora had given away was not going to be completely wasted. "Well, it's lucky for you that you have plenty of munny, don't you?"

The woman looked away from Sora to shoot her frown towards Kairi. She felt highly insulted by what the girl had told her, as if the munny she had to hand over in a short while had been hers all along. "And that's good that I'm giving it away now on a bunch of gas, is it?"

"Yeah, because you've been given a lot of munny today, which you've obviously brought with you since you wanted to waste it all on things for yourself." Kairi gave a small frown back at the woman before turning away from her to look up at Sora with eyes that were filling with admiration. "Sora's the one who gave you all that munny. Even if you had enough gas to drive yourself to the shopping centre, you would have been spending all the munny that _he _gave you - and then you'd have no gas or munny to be able to get yourself home. So at least buying gas will get you home - but you would not have been able to if not for Sora."

Sora was now gazing back down at Kairi, feeling very moved about what she just had explained about his doing. Blushing hard, he looked up from her, smiling softly towards the woman. He felt glad that he had been able to help her, which he happily knew had made Kairi very proud of him.

Nikkou grinned knowingly towards her son, able to easily tell how he was feeling after hearing what Kairi had said about him, then started to walk away from the car and along the side of the road. "Come on, kids. It'll be very late when we get back. We have to start walking home."

Sora and Kairi were looking down the road in the direction Nikkou was walking away from them, but they both quickly turned their heads towards the beach to take in one last quick look of it. Up in the pitch black sky, a large full moon had risen, its shining light piercing through the darkness and allowing the two teenagers to see the beach easier. The moon's rays lit up some traces of yellow which could be seen on the remaining sand that had not been covered by the salty water. The two beach trees were just a pair of black silhouettes, although they could still be seen wobbling slightly in the calm wind. Quivering ripples were spread out all over the sea that stretched out to the horizon while back on the shore was the white of waves that had all become smaller, continuing to splash onto the sand, but unable to soak any part of the dry area which it had never been able to cover.

Having taken in enough of the beach, Sora and Kairi turned to look in the direction which Nikkou had walked down. They were both very surprised to see how far ahead of them she already was. The brightness of the moonlight which was filling up the island did not stop Nikkou from almost vanishing amongst the darkness ahead. Not wanting to lose her or be left behind, the two teenagers quickly jogged together along the stretch of grass beside the road (neither of them saying goodbye to the woman, who was feeling even more annoyed as she watched the two of them leave her).

They managed to catch up with Nikkou, but they both decided to stay behind her as they stopped their jogging to walk together at each other's sides. They found they now only just had enough room on the grass to walk along - for on each side of the road, long wooden fences had been built. They had been painted white, and from how far they could be seen up ahead, they seemed to go on for quite a distance. Behind the two fences were large and long, hilly fields, which had their shade of green mostly hidden away by how dark the night was. The sound of gentle waves from the sea returned to the teenagers' ears, heard from beyond the fields on their left.

"Mom, do you know the way home from here?" Sora asked his mother with slight urgency. He looked away from the fields he was passing and towards Nikkou as he followed her alongside of the road. "'Cause you said you didn't live there when you came to visit this place."

"Yeah, but I know this road, Sora," Nikkou answered confidently, not looking back at her son or the girl who had joined them as she continued to walk forward. "It _will_ lead us back home. It's gonna be quite a fair walk, but you'll be able to recognise where we are once we're near our estate."

Nikkou started to walk slowly to her right, which the teenagers saw the grass on the side of the road was now leading them to. Remaining beside each other and behind the boy's mother, they followed her around the curve, which they noticed had the same white fences on each side of the tarmac. They were able to see through the darkness that the straight stretch of road they had to walk alongside was the length of about three miles before going around a tight bend that led to the left. On each side of the road, behind the two wooden fences that they were continuing to walk in between, were even more long fields that were all made up of large, grassy hills. Sora and Kairi were both feeling sure they were going to see a lot of the fields during most of their walk back to their houses.

With a small grin on her face, Kairi turned her head from side to side as she walked along the grass with Sora. She was taking in the fields they were passing with a lot of awe. "This place is really pretty. I didn't notice it while we were up in the air. I bet it looks really beautiful during the daytime."

Nikkou, still making her way along the ground next to the long, wide line of tarmac and keeping a small distance ahead of the teenagers, looked over her shoulder to smile towards Kairi. She had heard what the girl had said about their surroundings, which had reminded her of when she had once visited them. "They are _really_ beautiful in the daytime. I remember when I visited this place years ago. I took a very nice walk along those fields, and I was looking right down at the sea. The view was really amazing, and the whole place was one of the most wonderful parts of the island I had ever visited."

Sora stared towards his mother as he continued to follow her alongside the road, feeling suddenly interested by how she had described the area they were walking through. He looked around at the fields that were on his left. He was able to take in the many green hills through the dark, and he was already trying to picture how they would appear during bright daylight, which he knew would allow him to see how lovely they really were. He turned his head to gaze over his shoulder towards the hills where the sound of waves of the sea had been heard from behind them. The soft, gentle splashing sounds were no longer able to reach his ears, but Sora knew if he and Kairi were to stand on top of the hills, they would be able to look out at the beautiful view of the sea his mother had mentioned.

The sight of the fields they were walking past and the way they had been described by his mother had helped Sora to decide what he wanted to do for Kairi for the following day.

* * *

Familiar sights had returned to Sora and Kairi's eyes when they were finally walking along the side of the road that ran past their estate. They had spent twenty-five minutes following Nikkou along the country road which had led them past the many hilly fields on each of its sides before they had finally spotted the large, purple houses that stood near the beach of the main island. As soon as they had realized where they were, the three of them had stopped for a moment to look out towards the estate. They had been able to look up the full moon from there. It had been high up in the sky, shining down towards the smaller island, which the woman and two teenagers had easily seen standing in the darkness that filled up the air all over the sea. Tiny, silver dots had also been twinkling around the paths that led through the large housing estate and towards the main's island's beach. They had looked like little stars on the earth - but Sora, Kairi and Nikkou knew well that they were just the lights that were given off from the wooden streetlamps. How bright they had appeared from looking down above the estate was not comparable to the strong yellow light that was shooting out from all of the modern streetlamps in the lines of streets that made the estate where Sora, Kairi and Nikkou lived. They were able to make their way steadily past the rows of houses which were all standing on their right. The light that was filling the entire estate allowed them to see which end would be the entrance to the street where they lived.

Sora and Kairi were walking together beside Nikkou, following her across the road that led down through their street. As the three of them stepped onto the sidewalk, they all turned right and started to pace past the houses that stood on their left. The street was filled with parked cars, which Sora and Kairi were quite surprise to see, although mainly because not one vehicle had driven past them while they had been journeying on foot along the country road. A lot of the cars were parked on their owners' driveways while the rest were sitting on the sidewalks in front of some of the houses. The only house which did not have a car parked in front of it or on its driveway was the one which the woman, the boy and the girl looked up towards as they made their way through the street, getting closer to it. It was Kairi's house.

The girl looked away from the house she was making her way towards, grinning softly up at the boy who was walking alongside her. "Thanks for taking me on another wonderful, fun-filled day out, Sora."

Turning to look down at Kairi while treading beside her along the sidewalk, Sora grinned back widely at her. "You already thanked me when we got out of the basket, Kairi. But it's okay. I'm really glad you enjoyed your day - and I already know what we're gonna do, tomorrow."

Kairi blinked in amazement as she gazed up at Sora, surprised by what he had just told her. They had only just returned from spending a fantastic day of gazing down at lots of places on the main island while flying high up in a hot air balloon, and the two of them had ended it by standing together on a different beach to the one they usually visited to look up at the evening sky. It had been a very long day, but Kairi had really loved everything they had done to enjoy it - and she could not believe that by the end of it, Sora had already planned and decided what they were going to do during the next day.

The grin that had been on Kairi's face when she had thanked Sora had temporarily faded away, but she managed to bring it back and shoot it up at the boy again. "What have you planned for tomorrow then?"

"Another surprise," Sora informed the girl in a voice that was filled with secrecy. He was still grinning down at her, not having any intention of giving her a hint of what the two of them were going to do for the upcoming day. "I'll come to your house when it's ready for you, then I'll be spending the whole day making sure you enjoy yourself and have fun."

Kairi's cheeks went a light shade of pink as she smiled up at the boy. She felt completely excited and thankful for the early effort he had made to plan out what he wanted to do for her as soon as the new day arrived. She saw that the grin on the boy's face - which she knew was directed at her - was still just as wide, and she could also see something which Sora had not noticed. Nikkou - who was walking along Sora's other side - was smiling down at the two of them, seemingly just as amazed as Kairi had been when she had heard that Sora had made plans for the next day. Kairi did not know if Nikkou was aware what her surprise was going to be, as during the day, she had not seen her go off alone with Sora as if to talk with him privately. The smile on the woman's face did not make Kairi feel uneasy, but there was something about it which made her feel a little confused.

As the girl took a few more steps forward along the sidewalk, her house came into her view behind the two people she was walking with and looking up at. Kairi stopped where she was, taking a quick glance towards her house before pulling Sora into a tight hug. She smiled softly as she rested her head onto his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Bye, Sora. Thanks again for taking me on that amazing hot air balloon ride."

Sora was a little surprised at the sudden hug the girl was giving him and the words she was whispering to him, until he glanced over his shoulder and saw that they were standing in front of her house. Looking back down at Kairi, he smiled softly at her as he hugged her back. "It's alright, Kairi. I'll knock on your door tomorrow when your surprise is ready for you."

Her cheeks still light pink, Kairi opened her eyes and carefully broke the hug, lifting her head back off Sora's shoulder. The smile was still on her face as she turned away from the boy to face Nikkou, raising her hand to wave at her. "Goodnight, Nikkou."

"Goodnight, Kairi," Nikkou answered quietly, smiling back as she returned a wave to the girl. She had also enjoyed _her_ day in the hot air balloon, and seeing how much her son and the girl who had joined them had enjoyed it was one of the things that had really made it very wonderful for her.

Kairi stepped away from Sora and passed Nikkou to walk through the gateway and along her garden path. There was not much light shining from the streetlamps onto her house's brickwork, and nothing but blackness could be seen through the front windows. Opening up her pouch, Kairi reached into it and pulled out her house key, which was still joined by the one which would let her into Sora's house. The girl stepped onto her doorstep and inserted the key into the keyhole, unlocking the front door before pushing its handle down to open it.

After stepping into the dark interior of the house, Kairi pulled the key out of the lock. She turned around to look out beyond her gateway, grinning upon seeing that Sora and Nikkou were still standing out on the sidewalk in front of her house. She raised a hand and began to wave out towards them. "Bye!"

"Bye, Kairi!" Sora grinned as he waved wildly back towards Kairi, his entire lower arm managing to shake from one side to another in less than seconds. It did not stop moving madly around in the air until the boy finally saw that the front door of the house had been pushed shut and the girl had disappeared from sight.

Nikkou instantly turned her head away from the house to face her son. The certain smile that she had shot towards him and Kairi when she had heard them talking about the upcoming day had returned to her face. "So then, Sora - you've already decided what you and Kairi are doing tomorrow, have you?"

"Yeah, Mom," Sora answered, starting to walk along the sidewalk to make his way from Kairi's house and towards his. He looked up wonderingly at his mother as she treaded slowly alongside him. "Do you wanna hear what I'm gonna do for Kairi tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm gonna have to hear it, aren't I?" Nikkou laughed softly, no longer looking down at her son, but interested to learn what he had planned to surprise Kairi once again. "Let me know what it is when we get in. Then you're gonna have to go on up to bed."

The woman turned to her left as she made her way through the gateway that led to her house, leading her son along the short garden path. Her car was standing completely still on the driveway, having not been used throughout the whole day while its owner had been travelling over the main island by a way she thought was much more wonderful and better. The blue paintwork of the car was difficult to see in the darkness, looking instead like a shiny black with a few bright yellow dots that happened to be reflections of the lights given off by the streetlamps.

Already holding her set of keys in her hand, Nikkou stepped up onto her doorstep. Sora remained standing on the path, watching his mother as she held out the key to the front door and placed it into the lock. The keys could be heard rattling as Nikkou turned them in her hand, then Sora looked past her to see the door being slowly pushed open. He could not see much of the inside of the house, since it was so dark and the lights were not turned on - but as Nikkou stepped onto the wooden floor of the lounge, she flipped a switch on the wall and the single lamp that was hanging from the white ceiling turned on. Light immediately filled up the entire lounge, allowing everything that was inside it to be seen and making the room itself look more welcoming to Sora as he stepped into the house.

Nikkou gently pushed the door shut behind her son - ready to hear what he was going to do to make the next day fun for Kairi.

* * *

**That's this really long chapter over. Again, I'm really sorry for the long wait and I hope it wasn't a bad chapter. :( **

**Because my life has now become busier, I am gonna try and make quicker updates by using much more of my free time to write, and I'm no longer gonna take quite a fair gap between when I upload a new chapter and start to write a new one. I pretty much know how the next few chapters are gonna work out, so I'm sure I can start work on them soon without many problems. :)**


	47. Countryside Car Journey

**Yes! I managed to get this chapter up in the same month as the last one, meaning – for the first in a long time – I've managed to make more than one update in the same month.**

**Anyway, this chapter – believe it or not – is even longer than the last one. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

* * *

Some faint, quiet sounds could be heard coming from Nikkou's kitchen at twenty-five past ten, the following morning.

She was able to hear the small noises as she stood waiting beside the doorway. The quietness of the lounge allowed her ears to pick up the sounds that were almost difficult to hear as they entered the room from the kitchen. Although she was dressed in her usual clothes, only a pair of black socks were on Nikkou's feet. She did not plan on putting on her black flats - which were sitting together at the foot of the front door - until the person who was making the sounds in the kitchen had finished what he was doing and was ready to leave the house. Nikkou knew exactly what her son was up to in the other room. She had been informed, during the night before, what his new idea to surprise Kairi was, told him how great she thought it was and offered to give him a bit of help. She had spent a few minutes of the early morning in the kitchen, aiding Sora to make a start on his work. He would most probably nearly be finished by now, which was why Nikkou was feeling ready to drive him and the red-haired girl away to the place he wanted to visit.

"Sora, are you done in there?" she called out impatiently, her voice directed through the doorway and into the kitchen. "The day will be gone if you stay in there for any longer."

Sora stepped into the lounge from the kitchen, already dressed in his usual clothes and wearing his large boots. He turned to look up at his mother, worry visible in his expression. "Mom, are you _sure_ everything I'm putting in the basket is alright? None of it will make me and Kairi sick, will it?"

"No, Sora. They're all fine." Nikkou was smiling at her son, but there was clear irritation in her voice as she softly repeated the words she had assured him with the night before. "I checked the sell-by date labels when I bought them three days ago. They're to last a very long time, so you can take them out with you."

The words being uttered to him for a second time were enough to stop Sora from worrying any further. He had been fretting over what Nikkou had suggested to solve a problem that she had brought up while he had been explaining his idea of what he wanted to do that day with Kairi. Deciding to finally trust his mother and take what she had been telling him as true, he shot a relaxed grin up at Nikkou before stepping back into the kitchen.

He was only in there for a brief few seconds before he marched out again - carry a large, brown wicker basket in both of his hands. It was box-shaped and had a lift-up lid that was covering the top of it. Everything it was carrying inside made it heavy for Sora to carry. The entire weight of it was on his lower arms, which were both underneath the bottom of the basket, trying to keep it from falling off them. Sora groaned quietly, his arms already beginning to ache from picking the basket up from the kitchen table and carrying it into the lounge. He did not intend, however, to take out any of the contents and make it any lighter.

Nikkou could tell by her son's expression that he was finding the weight of the basket hard to keep hold of. She gazed down at him with concern, thinking that if he could not carry it, she would not be able to. "Sora, I think you've put too much in there. You won't be able to carry that. Take it back in the kitchen and take some of the stuff out."

"I can't do that, Mom, because we've gotta go and collect Kairi now." Sora was able to fight against the weight he was battling with to give a small grin up towards Nikkou as he turned to face her. "Like you said, the day will be gone if I stay in the kitchen for any longer."

Nikkou laughed softly, humoured by Sora telling her exactly what she had warned him about, but still looking at him with concern in her eyes. "Yeah, I bet Kairi's already up and waiting for us. But will you be okay carrying that basket around?"

"I won't be carrying it that much. It'll be on the ground for most of the day while me and Kairi are enjoying ourselves. We'll have to put it in the trunk of the car when we go to collect her, so that she won't see it before we get to the place."

Sora's grin faded as soon as he finished speaking, a troubling thought striking his mind. Lowering his aching arms, his placed the basket onto the wooden floor. It had been getting too heavy for him to carry for any longer, and he had been thought it was going to fall out of his arms and onto the floor - which would mean keeping Kairi waiting for much longer while he picked up everything that was inside. "Mom… do you think Kairi will like the surprise I'm giving her today?"

Nikkou smiled comfortingly down at her son, seeing all of the worry in his face and wanting him to know he had no reason to feel stressed over his idea. "I'm sure she's gonna love it, Sora. She loved the hot air balloon ride yesterday, and I told you last night that I think your idea is very cute. I know Kairi will be amazed when she finds out what it is, because she always does whenever you surprise her. I wanna stay around for a little bit when I drop you two off, because I want to see exactly how she will react when you reveal it to her."

The boy was able to bring a large smile that contained all the excitement he was feeling back to his face, sending it straight up towards his mother. "I saw she felt really happy when I told her I had planned another surprise for her. It was really wonderful to see how excited she quickly became. I hope when she finds out what I have planned for her and haven't told her about, she will be just as amazed as when she saw the balloon in the field."

"Well, have you got everything now, Sora?" Nikkou asked with a chuckle, shaking her head as she walked towards the front door to slip her shoes onto her feet. "Because I don't think Kairi's gonna feel too amazed when she sees _you_, after how long you've taken to get ready. She properly got up before you and has spent all this time waiting. Don't be surprised if she gets in a bit of a mood with you."

Sora's jaw fell open as he stared in growing shock and sadness towards Nikkou. What she had just jokingly warned him of had made him think back to two of the terrible, heartbreaking days that had occurred just before the past week. The thought of Kairi waiting for quite a long time for him to take her out and give her a surprise he had told her she was going to receive caused him to think about the two days she had spent standing on the shore of the smaller island, waiting for him to arrive and spend hours of fun with her, as he had promised. For what he had done right after he had made the promise to her, he had been forced to break it and leave her waiting in high disappointment for him while he had been given some horrible, upsetting pieces of news about his health and condition - as well as how long his life would possibly last. Nikkou's speculation about Kairi being moody with him when they would go to pick her up made Sora think back to the night when he had been finally let out of hospital and free to see the girl after breaking his promise to her. He was able to miserably remember how she had yelled angrily at him when she had finally seen him with eyes that had been filled with hurt and tears, letting him know exactly how let down he had made her feel. He could also remember how she had reacted when he had told her he had cancer: bursting into tears before hugging him tightly, her bitter crying uncontrollable and her mind filling up with enormous, never-ending fear over the thought of losing him. Sora knew he had broken the girl's heart - which made him feel very furious with himself - and there was no surprise he could come up with that could take away what she was frightened of.

Nikkou had just slipped her feet into her pair of high-heeled shoes and was taking her house keys out of the lock on her front door. She placed her hand onto the door handle, ready to go outside and leave the house - when she looked over her shoulder and saw that Sora was still standing beside the kitchen doorway, a distraught expression on his face and the basket not even in his hands. She could tell there was something wrong, which made her begin to feel upset and worried about him. Lifting her hand away from the door handle, she took a few steps along the wooden floor towards her son. "Sora, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Sora was able to hear his mother as the devastating thoughts that were bringing his mood down continued to race though his mind. He did not feel like answering her as he remained where he was, staring sadly into space. The memories of Doctor Mizu telling him he had cancer and Kairi sobbing her heart out loudly before telling him that she could not lose him were continuing to torture him - until something else unexpectedly managed to burst into his mind. It was able to send away all of the terrible memories, filling the surprised boy's head up completely. He was unsure of how he had managed to think of the new memory in his mind - but it was able to make him feel happy again, for he had quickly decided that he was going to add some of it to Kairi's surprise.

"Sora, what is it?" Nikkou was standing in front of her son, the panic she was going through over his mood increasing. She had noticed how his expression had suddenly changed, but it was still one that told her there was something on his mind. The fact that he was remaining silent and not telling her what it was made her feel very frightened. "Sora, answer me!"

Still thinking to himself about what was bringing his mood back up to a high level of cheerfulness, Sora looked back up at Nikkou. He immediately shot a wide, excited grin as soon as he was facing her, lowering his arms down to pick the basket up off the floor in both of his hands. "I thought of something I want to add to Kairi's surprise."

"Oh, Sora!" Nikkou groaned loudly, her worry vanishing within a second to be replaced by annoyance. She was already fed up of waiting for her son and she was finding it both angering and disbelieving that he wanted to spend more time in the house, making more preparations. "I thought you actually wanted to _give_Kairi her surprise! Not just make it and keep her waiting, thinking she's gonna get it when she's not!"

"I _am_ gonna give her the surprise, Mom," Sora argued firmly, annoyed that she actually believed he was not going to let Kairi enjoy what he had thought of and had spent a lot of the morning putting together. "I just wanna add one more thing to the basket. One more thing - which will be cut into two-"

"Well hurry up then, Sora," Nikkou sighed, turning towards the couch and throwing the keys in her hand out in front of her so that they would land onto the nearest arm. She spun around on the spot to face the front door, which she started to make her way to along the wooden floor. "I'm gonna go and sit in the car, since I unlocked it ages ago when I thought you were coming. Don't forget to pick up the keys on your way out and lock the door."

As Nikkou pulled open the front door and stepped out of her house, Sora turned away from where she had walked up to and quickly carried the basket back into the kitchen. The lounge had now become empty the moment Nikkou had slammed it with a deafening bang, but sounds from the kitchen were beginning to fill it once again, much nosier than the ones that Sora had created earlier. He had just pulled open one of the drawers in the kitchen, and flowing through the doorway was the sound of metals clattering against each other. It only lasted for a few seconds before the drawer was pushed shut again, but it was not to be the final noise Sora would make before leaving the kitchen. From where the dining table was, a sound which only lasted a second (and would have told Nikkou if she had stayed inside the house that it was being made by a lid being lifted off a plate) entered the lounge through the doorway. What followed it out of the kitchen was as quiet as the sounds that had first been made that morning. Hardly able to fill the entire living room, the new sound would not have been loud enough for Nikkou to be able to tell without looking into the kitchen what Sora was beginning to cut up with a knife.

The last sound that the boy created before he was ready to leave and pick Kairi up from her house was that of the basket's lid being throw shut. The container made of wicker was being carried under Sora's left arm as he stepped back into the lounge. He had not added any extra weight to it with the new contents he had just put inside, but it was still heavy for him to carry in one arm. With his free hand, he picked up the keys from the arm of the couch they were resting on as he walked past it. He made his way up to the front door, inserting the house key into the metal lock before quickly turning it.

Sora pulled the door open and removed the key from the lock, stepping out onto the doorstep. Nikkou's car was waiting for him on the driveway. Its trunk had been opened up widely by the woman, who Sora could see through the rear windshield, sitting in the driver's seat. She had not noticed her son was now outside the house and about to join her inside the car, for she was staring out at the road she was about to drive onto ahead of her.

The boy turned around on the doorstep to pull the door shut and lock it up with the house key - but he could feel his left shoulder beginning to ache from trying to hold the basket under his arm. After taking the key out of the lock, Sora - finding the pain he was feeling to be increasingly horrible and unbearable - tilted his body to the left, allowing basket to slowly slip out of his sore hand before landing gently on the doorstep. Dropping the set of keys onto the basket's lid, he placed his right hand onto his hurting shoulder and rubbed it carefully, finding that it was already feeling better from no longer having to carry the heavy weight under it.

Quickly feeling able to pick up the basket again and put it inside the car's trunk, Sora lowered his hands to place them onto each side of it. Although still very heavy as he lifted it up and carried it over to the rear of the vehicle, it was much easier than trying to hold it under one arm.

Sora placed the basket down inside the trunk and took the keys off its lid in his right hand. He stretched his arms upwards to take hold of the decklid, throwing it down forcefully to slam it securely shut. He was sure that if he had taken the basket with him to the back seats of the car where Kairi would be able to see it, she would not have to wonder for very long what was inside it before guessing correctly. Sora did not want her surprise to be spoilt, and the basket itself - even without its lid being lifted up and what it was carrying revealed - would be a very big giveaway.

Nikkou sighed softly to herself as she continued to wait inside the car, listening to the guitar music that was playing on the radio, which had drowned out the sound of the trunk's decklid being shut with a thump. She was wondering if she should go back inside the house to drag Sora away from what he was doing and out to the car - when she heard one of the rear passenger seats' doors being pulled open. Surprised, she looked back towards the seat, grinning to see her son climb into the one on the left side of the vehicle. Glad the long wait she had been going through was over, she reached forward with her hand to press a button on the radio which turned it off. "Did you lock the door?"

"Yeah, and I put the basket in the trunk," Sora explained proudly as he pulled the car door shut behind him. He looked up towards his mother, grinning widely as he held the keys out for her to take from him. "I'll take it out and tell Kairi what her surprise is when we get to the place. I don't want her to see the basket and work out what her surprise is just as she's getting in the car."

Nikkou smiled as she took the keys from her son. She turned towards the dashboard, inserting the ignition key into its slot. As soon as she rotated it with her hand, the engine of the car thundered into life. Nikkou let go of the key she was holding onto, placing both of her hands on the steering wheel as she placed her foot onto the gas pedal. "I'll stay in the car while you go and knock Kairi's door, Sora," she explained to her son. "You'll properly see her through her lounge's window. I can picture her looking a bit annoyed before she notices us, although I don't think you need to worry about her being in that much of a mood with you for very long."

Sora shot his head up from putting on his seatbelt as his mother drove the car out of the driveway. The happiness that had been within his expression and thoughts had become replaced by fear. He stared out nervously through the window next to the right passenger seat, looking at the houses they would be making their way past as soon as the car had finished steering right. Kairi's house would soon come into view and the girl would then be sitting in the seat next to him. How she would probably be feeling was what made Sora begin to worry slightly in his mind. His mother had hinted to him for a second time that Kairi would possibly be annoyed at him for the length of time he had spent preparing her surprise, though it was only now he was starting to wonder if she would be. She was sure to have woken up early and gotten herself ready long before he had, not having any idea that the reason why he had taken so long was because he had waited until that morning to put together what he had thought of for her. Sora did not think explaining to her without mentioning the surprise would make her forgive him, as he thought he could have stayed up the previous night and arranged it instead of going straight up to bed as his mother had asked him to. He wished he had thought of that after he finished discussing with Nikkou how the surprise was going to work. He would have been able to go straight to Kairi's house as soon as he had gotten himself ready that morning.

The car pulled up onto the side of the road, causing Sora to lift his head worriedly as he realized where they had stopped. Visible through the window next to the right rear passenger seat was Kairi's house. The boy quickly looked in fear towards where the wide, bottom front window of the house was - and his high level of panic increased within the second when he saw that Kairi was not visible through it. The girl had not made an effort to keep an eye out for him, and he was sure that meant she was angry with him for keeping her waiting. He had managed to arrive at her house on the day he had said she would receive what he had planned - unlike when he had been supposed to be doing the activities he used to do with her instead of being diagnosed with cancer. He still did not think, however, that she would be happy when she would finally see him on her doorstep after arriving quite late in the morning.

"Get out and knock her door then, Sora," Nikkou commanded him, looking over her shoulder towards her son as she sat back in the driver's seat. She saw the worried look on his face, but managed for once not to ask what was scaring him, as she did not think there was time. "You've kept Kairi waiting for long enough. Don't waste more time sitting here and making her wait even longer."

Sora glanced towards his mother with his jaw hanging open. He took off his seatbelt and opened the door he was sitting next to, his fear growing as he tried to think of what he was going to say when he finally faced Kairi. He had not kept her waiting for as long as he had done while he had been at the hospital, but he was sure the girl had been expecting him to arrive at her house much sooner. As he hurried around the rear of the car, onto the sidewalk and through the gateway in front of him, he was able to see through the bottom window more clearly - and his eyes widened when he saw that Kairi was not even waiting for him in the lounge. The red, silk curtains that usually hung on each end of the wide window had been drawn back, allowing Sora to see into the room as far back as the doorway that led to the kitchen. He could not tell if Kairi was waiting for him in the kitchen or on the upper level of the house - but he was sure she was in an angry mood with him.

Stepping up onto the doorstep, Sora closed his mouth as he nervously faced the door. He slowly raised a fist, then shut his frightened eyes tight as he thumped it hard on the door. He was ready to be yelled at by a bellowing Kairi again while trying to explain with an apology as to why he had been so long at his house.

Footsteps could be heard dropping one by one onto the staircase behind the door, which they were all able to reach by their loud level. They became much softer as soon as the person who had just raced down the stairs reached the floor, approaching the door to unlock it with the key that had been left in it during the previous night. The sound of the keyhole being turned could be heard before the door was pulled open from the inside.

Kairi was standing in front of the doorway, already wearing her minidress, halter top and shoes (as Sora had guessed she would be). Her right hand was on the door's handle to hold it open - while her left hand was covering her entire face. Her shoulders were sagged as she rubbed her eyes firmly, not noticing that Sora was standing right in front of her. As soon as the girl lowered her hand, she stared up in confusion towards the boy, her eyes half closed. She appeared to be having trouble for a few seconds realizing that it was Sora who was there, but managed to bring a small smile to her face - which was not anywhere near as wide as the ones she would shoot at the boy almost every time they met up.

"Sora..." she murmured to him, sounding as though she was having difficulty getting her voice to let her speak. "You're here…"

Sora stared at Kairi, still feeling completely worried about her - although now over her health instead of her mood. The girl had just surprised him by smiling at him instead of screaming out angrily about how long he had kept her waiting, but she was clearly as not as lively as she had been during the previous days and evenings they had spent together. The tiny size of her smile, her low shoulders, her eyelids half over her eyes and the quiet, struggling tone she had greeting him in told Sora how unenergetic Kairi was. He was gazing at her with wide eyes full of shock and concern, wondering if she was feeling sick. "Are you alright, Kairi?"

"Yeah, I am." Kairi managed to change the small smile on her face into a grin that was not much bigger. It only lasted for a few seconds before she let off a long, tired yawn, stretching her arms outwards. She ran her right arm palm over each of her eyes, trying to see Sora better as she brought the smile back to her face for him. "Sorry, Sora. I've only just woken up."

"_Just__now?_" Sora cried out in horror, his jaw falling open even wider that it already was. He gawped down guiltily at the girl, unable to believe what he had heard and what he had possibly done. "Did _I_wake you up, Kairi?"

Kairi shook her head wearily as she lowered her hand from her half-closed eyes. "I've been awake for a few minutes, so I was able to get a bit ready before you came. But I actually hadn't come downstairs until you knocked my door."

The explanation Kairi had given him only made Sora's panicking state increase instead of vanish. He did not feel any better knowing that he was not the one who had disturbed the girl from her sleep and made her come exhaustedly to the front door, as he was sure she had not had everything she needed to make herself feel awake on her feet. "Have you had breakfast yet, Kairi?"

"No, Sora," Kairi answered sleepily, pulling the keys out of the lock on her door before stepping out onto the doorstep to stand right in front of Sora. She managed to shift a small amount of her tiredness aside to keep the smile on her face. "But it's okay, I don't need breakfast. Let's just go and enjoy-"

"YOU HAVE TO EAT BREAKFAST, KAIRI!" Sora blurted out in a horrified cry. He had not meant to bring his voice up as loudly as he had - but more importantly, he did not want the girl he loved to have hunger sickness during the car journey. "You go in the kitchen and make yourself something! Mom and I will wait out here!"

"No, Sora," Kairi insisted, turning away from him as she pulled the door shut behind her. She inserted her house key into the keyhole, locking up the door without any plans to let herself back in until Sora had brought her home later. "I don't wanna keep you waiting. I wanna just go out and let the two of us have a wonderful day."

Not noticing that Sora was about to attempt to snatch it from her, Kairi pulled the key out of the lock, placing it inside the pouch on her minidress. She turned around on her doorstep, seeing past the boy that Nikkou's car was parked in front of her house. The woman was visible through the front passenger seat's window, grinning and waving friendlily to her from the driver's seat. Kairi waved back as she made her way around Sora to walk exhaustedly down the garden path at a slow pace. Sora strode behind her, knowing he was not going to let the girl leave her house behind without having something to eat beforehand.

Kairi approached the rear car door that led to the passenger seat on the right. Trying to force her weak eyes to stay open, she glanced up to notice Sora was starting to round the rear of the car. Thinking she would see him in less than three seconds, which was how long it would take him to reach the left rear passenger door and climb into the other back seat, Kairi pulled her door open. She did not have enough energy to pull it all the way, but managed to open it wide enough to let herself in. She climbed into the car and sat back in the seat, relieved that she did not have to stay on her feet for a while.

Nikkou looked back from the driver's seat towards the tired girl that had just climbed into her car. She was only just beginning to notice how sleepy Kairi was, but thought she looked happy enough. "Hi, Kairi. Are you okay?"

Kairi's small smile had managed to stay on her face while she had let herself into the car, and she felt she was able to make it last for a few more seconds as she sent it up towards Nikkou. "Hi, Nikkou. I'm alright, just a bit tired. I've only just woken up."

"Now you've got up?" Nikkou exclaimed with great surprise, having expected Kairi to get herself out of bed long before Sora had and spent more than an hour waiting for them to arrive and pick her up. She frowned worriedly at the girl sitting in the rear of her car, noticing she had let her head fall back onto the top of her seat. It was clear that Kairi was finding it difficult to keep herself awake, which was causing Nikkou to feel concerned about her health. "Kairi, are you too tired to come out yet? You can go back to bed if you want to. Me and Sora could pick you up later-"

"No, Nikkou." Kairi struggled to lift her head up so that she could try to see Nikkou with the blurry vision her half-closed eyes were allowing her to use. The smile had disappeared from her face when she had tried to rest in her seat, but she brought it back by forcing her lips to work. "I've slept for long enough now. If I go back to bed, I won't be able to wake until tomorrow. I don't wanna waste today. I'll be okay. I'll feel awake in a little while."

The door to the rear passenger seat on the left was pulled open and Sora quickly climbed into the car. As he sat down in the seat, he pulled the door shut behind him with his left hand. He urgently turned to face Kairi, stretching his right hand – which was holding a small sandwich – out towards her. "Kairi, eat this!"

Kairi stared at the sandwich in Sora's hand, confused as to where he got it from. She was already feeling puzzled enough over why Sora had not climbed straight into the car when he had walked around the back of it, but she knew his reason for offering her something to eat in the car. It was over something she had just stopped herself from doing after seeing Sora was at the door, and she still did not feel she badly needed it. Kairi smiled weakly up at the boy, shaking her head slowly. "No, Sora. It's okay, I'm fine-"

"Kairi, you need to have breakfast!" Sora argued, projecting his voice slightly as he waved the sandwich up and down in front of her face. "You're tired, you've only just got up, you're coming out to spend the day with me – and you haven't even eaten anything. You-"

"You haven't had breakfast, Kairi?" Nikkou interrupted her son, giving the girl a shocked expression as she tried to take in that she had actually stopped herself from eating before leaving her house.

Kairi turned to look towards Nikkou, becoming increasingly embarrassed by what she had done. She had caused the two people sitting in the car with her to panic about her, despite the fact she did not think going somewhere without eating any food was wrong for her to do to herself. "No, but I-"

"Kairi, eat the sandwich!" Sora ordered her, his tone containing as much seriousness as his expression did. He stretched his arm out further towards her, his eyes shining as they pleaded with her to take the sandwich from him. "You need to have some breakfast. You just have to eat the sandwich and nothing else. I'm gonna have to make you eat it, even if you don't want it and try to stop yourself."

Turning her exhausted head to face the boy again, Kairi gazed at him, feeling both surprised and moved. She was very stunned at the huge fuss he was making and the way he was reacting to her refusal to have breakfast, just to get her to eat a sandwich. She was aware, though, that he was only doing it because he wanted her to be healthy instead of sick. Kairi was beyond thankful to know such a protective boy who was always concerned about her and wanting to make sure everything was the way it needed to be for her, even if she felt she did not need it. As she lowered her eyes from Sora to look at the sandwich in his hand again, she pursed her lips as she realized she actually did feel hungry.

Kairi slowly raised a hand and took the sandwich from Sora. She was not making her movements quick, as she knew that she would only make herself even more tired. Holding the sandwich in front of her face, she tried to examine it. Her four fingers and thumb pressed against the soft pieces of white bread that were covering the filing, but her eyes were not allowing her to see what was in between. Deciding to find out with her taste buds, Kairi opened her mouth, gave a huge yawn, then bit down on the sandwich. It was filled with cheese – which gave her new energy as she began to chew it. Her eyes had already widened as she could feel herself becoming less sleepy.

Sora had seen how Kairi had perked up, and the wideness of her eyes was causing him to panic over the sandwich. He saw that her mouth was closed and that she was still chewing - but a smile had not been brought to her face. The boy was worried that he had given her food that had lost its taste and now not even safe to eat without receiving illness. "Kairi? Are you alright? Is something wrong with that sandwich?" he asked her hastily in a high amount of alert.

Kairi swallowed and lowered down the half-eaten sandwich. She looked towards Sora with her widened eyes, able to see him much more clearly with her eyelids no longer trying to fall over her eyes. Holding the remains of the sandwich back up again so that Sora could see it, she gave him the widest grin that had been brought to her face that morning. "The sandwich is fine, Sora! It tastes alright and it's just woken me up properly! Thanks for my breakfast!"

Delighted from both seeing the girl was no longer fighting to keep herself awake and hearing that what he had given her did not taste terrible, Sora grinned back at Kairi. He was pleased to see her finally eating, as well as the fact she had not asked him where he had gotten the sandwich from. "It's okay, Kairi. I had to make sure you ate some breakfast. I was not going to listen to you say that you did not want any and let you go hungry and tired."

"So you feel okay now then, Kairi?" Nikkou asked her, still looking back towards the girl. She had seen how the cheese in the sandwich had taken effect on Kairi, and was now smiling gladly at her. She was relieved that she did not have to take her out without first letting her have something to eat for breakfast.

Kairi nodded up at Nikkou as she took another large bite into the sandwich. Only a very small bit was left in her hand as she chewed on the bread and the cheese – which was helping to make her feel even more awake. Knowing she was now truly ready to start spending a day out with Sora, Kairi swallowed before shooting the same wide grin up towards the boy's mother. "Yeah, I'm not tired now, thanks, Nikkou. I really liked having breakfast in your car – although, I hope it was okay with you…" Her voice had become quieter, sounding ashamed; as if she thought what she had just done had been wrong.

"Kairi, it's fine," Nikkou told her calmly, her soft smile remaining on her face. She was a little confused as to why the girl was feeling guilty, as there was no reason for her to regret what she had done. "I don't mind you eating in my car. I'm just glad you've finally eaten something and that you aren't letting yourself go without a bit of breakfast."

Grinning widely up at Nikkou, Kairi relaxed as she knew she was not going to make the woman annoyed by eating in her vehicle. She popped the two tiny breadcrumbs with the even tinier piece of cheese in between into her mouth, finding that they were enough to give her an extra boost of energy for the day as she chewed on them. As she turned to face Sora, Kairi swallowed to shoot her grin directly at him. "And I loved being given breakfast from _you_, Sora."

Sora gave a light chuckle, amused and pleased by what Kairi had said to him. The two of them had eaten a lot of meals together in their lives, whether at each other's houses, a friend's or in a public place – but they had never had breakfast together. Kairi was the only one of them who had just eaten, and all she had been given was a sandwich. Sora was happy, however, to have been the one to feed it to her and make her feel ready for the day. "And I loved giving breakfast to _you_, Kairi."

Kairi gazed silently at the boy, still grinning widely up at him as she took hold of her seatbelt to put it on. She was very amazed by what she had just heard from him, and felt extremely grateful that he wanted to make sure she would not leave her house while feeling hungry. No other boy had ever worried before about her not eating a morning meal or created a huge fuss to make sure she did. Riku would have probably tried if he had just been in Sora's shoes, but would have probably backed out of arguing with her. Sora had remained determined to get her to eat and had refused to back off, which reminded Kairi of how much he truly cared about her. Ever since their years of toddlerhood, she had always been aware of how he always thought of her and her needs – but she had also always remained thankful for the boy's never-ending kindness. Every sign he showed of it made her feel more happiness than anything else could ever bring.

"Are we ready to go?" Nikkou asked the two teenagers as she turned away from them to look out through the windshield in front of her. She had left the engine of the car running, so she simply set it into first gear and released the handbrake. "'Cause we are leaving now."

As the car roared out of where it had stopped on the road, beginning to make its way down the street and in between the two rows of houses, Sora looked ahead to see through the windshield. He took in how they heading towards the end of the street, passing a few of their neighbours' cars that were parked on each of the two sidewalks. Grinning excitedly, he quickly turned to Kairi again. "We're going now to take you to where your surprise is gonna be!"

The girl had only taken a small glance towards the windshield while the car had started moving. She had gone back to grinning towards Sora - and hearing what he had just explained to her caused the grin on her face to grow even wider. She had no idea where the boy was taking her to or what she was going to see or do when they would arrive, but Kairi was sure her surprise was going to be as wonderful as all the other ones he had prepared for her. "Thank you for my surprise, Sora!"

Sora looked a little surprised himself from hearing Kairi thank him already. His large grin shrunk to a small smile, filled with both slight humour and new worry. "You don't know what your surprise is yet, Kairi. We haven't even got to the place where it's gonna be at."

"I know – but this surprise you're taking me on is gonna be fantastic! I know it will be before I even find out what it is." Kairi smiled softly up at Sora, her eyes shining and full of love for him. "I've loved every surprise you've given to me through my life, Sora. You first surprised me when I was five, giving me a big, beautiful teddy bear. Now you've spent over a week giving me lots of other surprises, taking me out to wonderful places and letting us do fun activities. I've really enjoyed everything you have done for me over the past week and I appreciate all of your efforts to do them just for me. So even before we get to the place where my next surprise is, I want to thank you, because I can tell you've done a lot to make sure I will love it. I _am_gonna love it, Sora, and I know it's gonna be just as amazing as all the other surprises you've given me!"

The grin that had been on Sora's face returned, as he was really delighted to hear the girl say about how much she had loved everything the two of them had done together over the past days through the ideas that he had thought up. He could not help still feeling a little worried that she would not like what he had planned currently for the two of them to do next, but hearing Kairi say that she knew she was going to love it before it was revealed to her managed to slightly bring up his confidence. He just hoped it was not fall down to disappointment when they would be at the location they were travelling to.

While still gazing towards Sora, Kairi noticed that the houses in their street were no longer visible through the window next to him. Surprised and not recognising at first where they were, she turned away from him to look out through the windshield. She realized that they had not actually travelled very far, for the car had only just turned left at the end of their street and was starting to leave the estate where they lived behind. They were on the road that was a few metres away from the large housing estate behind the main beach. Kairi looked out through Sora's window again, immediately spotting the smaller island standing far out in the sea.

Sora noticed that she was taking in what they were passing through his window, so he turned away from her to see what she was locking her eyes onto. He instantly saw the smaller island as well, and he also noticed how blue the sea it was standing in and the sky above and behind it was. Not one cloud was floating through the sky. The sun high above the three islands was on its own, lighting up the air brightly. Sora thought that even from one of the back windows of his mother's car, the smaller island standing in the sea on a bright morning was a very nice sight. It was not half as beautiful, however, as the girl who was sitting with him in the car was. He was happy to leave the island behind as it started to disappear from view, for he was taking the girl with him.

"At this hour, I'm usually on the smaller island with you," Kairi laughed, looking towards Sora again. "I wouldn't usually still be in bed, asleep. I wonder how much of the tide came in by the time I woke up."

"Kairi, the tide doesn't come in on the smaller island until long after the moon goes up," Sora explained, turning to face her again and shaking his head with a small smile. "It hasn't been that long since the sun has gone up in the sky."

"I know that," Kairi answered, grinning up at the boy and giggling softly. "But it's not really like me, is it? I'm usually up early and become wide awake quickly just to go down to the smaller island with you and Riku. I don't sleep late very often, so I don't think you expected me to still be in bed while you were awake, did you?"

"No, I definitely didn't." Sora shook his head again as he chuckled lightly. "But it doesn't matter if you slept late, Kairi. I think it's probably because last night, we had a long walk home. You were probably more tired than you thought. And I don't care how long you slept late for. It doesn't mean we have less time to spend the day together. We're gonna enjoy your surprise to the full!"

Kairi continued grinning softly up at Sora, glad to hear that they were still going to spend a long time together throughout the day. Even though it was still the morning, she had been a little worried that she had wasted too much of the day by staying in bed. She had thought that she and Sora would not be able to spend as much time as they had done during the past few days, but the boy had taken away her worry that confirming that the amount of time the sun had left in the sky before night would arrive would not affect how much of the day they had to spend together.

"We'll be at the place where your surprise is soon, Kairi," Nikkou called to the girl from her seat, keeping her eyes fixed to the road she was driving along as she pressed her foot further down on the gas pedal. She had heard everything Sora and Kairi had been telling each other in the back of the car, but had been remaining silent with her hands gripped onto the steering wheel. "It'll take us a few minutes to drive along here, but I remember you telling me last night that you really liked it here."

Puzzled by what Nikkou had said about where they were now passing through, Kairi turned her head to the window she was sitting next to so as to find out where they were. She saw that the road was leading them past some green, hilly fields on her left, all of them protected from traffic by a white wooden fence that ran alongside the road. The few inches in between in the fence and the road were filled up by stretches of grass that were only just wide enough for people to walk along safely instead of putting themselves at risk on the road. Finding everything that was on her left to look familiar, Kairi looked out through the window Sora was sitting next to. Everything on the car's right was exactly the same as on its left.

Although she had walked alongside the road and past the location Nikkou was taking her through only once in her life, Kairi did not have any problems recognising it immediately. She grinned widely at the fields that were blurring past her. "This is the road we were walking along last night, isn't it?"

"It is, Kairi," Sora confirmed, smiling towards her, as he was thrilled by her reaction to what they were travelling past. "I heard you last night saying that you really liked these fields. You made me want to arrange something for today that would involve them, and I quickly decided what we're gonna do – which will be your surprise."

Kairi's eyes widened in delight, as did her grin. She really had enjoyed walking past the fields during the previous night and had thought they were pretty, but she had not actually given them a lot of thought when she had woken up that morning. Being reminded of them made her happy – and finding out that her surprise was something to do with them made her excited. She shot her grin at Sora, wanting to let him know what she was thinking. "Then I'm _definitely_ gonna love my surprise, Sora! If we're gonna be spending time in these fields, then today is gonna be brilliant – just like all the other days you've made so fun! Thank you for taking me out here!"

Sora returned a grin to the girl, having heard all of the excitement that had filled her voice. It helped him to realize he had made the right choice on planning where Kairi's surprise was going to be. What she had said about the fields had brought the idea to his head, but what they were going to be doing in them was equally as important. He still had to wait and see how her reaction would turn out when he would tell her what the surprise actually was, but he was feeling even more excited by hearing Kairi say that she was definitely going to love it – even though she still had no idea of what it was.

He turned away from her so that his eyes fell onto the back of Nikkou's seat. Unknown to the girl and his mother, he was very relieved that they were not travelling along the other road in the countryside that the hot air balloon had seemed to follow during the previous day. Going that way would have led them past the church which they had spotted from in the basket, its graveyard causing Kairi and Nikkou to feel deeply frightened and heartbroken again, as it had reminded them of what Sora was going through. He was unsure if that was the reason why his mother had chosen to drive along the road that they had used the previous night to return home, but he was just thankful his mother and the girl he loved were not going to be upset by the gloomy place where dead people were buried two days in a row.

The car was steered around a bend in the road, the high speed it had built up to decreasing slightly. Sora glanced out towards the windshield, noticing that on each side of the car were even more green fields that were just like the ones that had already passed, all of them behind the white, wooden fences that continued protecting them beyond the corner. He knew it was all they were going to see for the rest of the car journey, but the sight of them made him pleased as he knew Kairi loved them. He turned to look at the girl again, expecting her to be gazing out of all of the cars' windows and taking in all of the green hills in sight. To his horror, she was just gazing down at her feet. A small frown was on her face, which made her look very sad.

"Kairi, what's the matter?" Sora almost screamed out, his voice high and filled with panic. "Why are you sad? What's wrong?"

Kairi, taken by surprise by how Sora was yelling his questions to her, quickly looked up with her frown fading. Turning towards the boy, she gave him a small smile and shook her head slowly. "Nothing, Sora. Nothing's wrong with me, I'm fine."

"No you aren't, Kairi!" Sora disagreed, the tone of his voice remaining just as booming as when he had started to question the girl what was troubling her. "I can tell there's something wrong! I just saw your face and you were looking sad! Tell me what's making you sad! Please!"

Kairi gazed up at the boy, her smile fading away. Her mouth was hanging open with surprise, then it closed up tightly as she changed her expression to one of embarrassment. "Well… It's not that I'm sad, Sora, don't worry. It's just that… I'm still feeling… a bit hungry."

"You're hungry?" Sora was no longer speaking to her so loudly, but the concern in his voice was still there. He stared at the girl with widening blue eyes. He had not expected to hear what she had just confessed to him.

Kairi nodded awkwardly before smiling up at Sora again. "I'll be okay. It's my fault; I should have gotten up earlier and made myself some break-"

"Mom?" Sora looked towards the front of the car as he addressed his mother, not wanting to hear anymore of the girl claiming she would be alright and putting herself down. "Is there anywhere along this road that we can stop at?"

Nikkou, having heard Kairi admit she was hungry and what Sora had just asked her, thought she knew what her son was going to do as she peered out ahead of the road she was driving along. There was a wide area of tarmac up ahead connected to the left side of the road, which had led to some of the fence to being taken up before being rebuilt around its edge. Nikkou pressed her foot down gently on the brake pedal to bring down the car's speed. "I'll park there now, Sora."

"Sora, what are you doing?" Kairi asked the boy in confusion. She was frowning slightly up at him, wondering at first why he was asking his mother to stop the car when they had seemingly not yet arrived at where in the fields her surprise was going to be. A strong idea of what Sora was thinking came into her mind and she chuckled slightly, shaking her head rapidly. "It's okay. I'm only a _bit_ hungry. I'll wait to have something to eat. You don't have to stop the car. I-"

"Kairi, I'm getting you something to eat!" Sora interrupted her determinedly, giving her a small frown on his face. It did not contain any anger, but it was to tell her that he was going through with what he was telling her whether she wanted him to or not. "You didn't make yourself any breakfast and all you've eaten this morning is one small sandwich. I'm actually not surprised that you're still hungry, so I'm gonna give you something else now."

The girl opened her mouth to tell Sora not to go through with the trouble she thought she was causing for him, but hesitated when she realized that the car was slowing down to a stop. She stared out through the windshield with her mouth hanging open, realizing they were no longer on the main road and were on the small parking area on its side. She looked down towards in the handbrake, which she saw was grabbed by Nikkou's hand and pulled up before the woman placed the gearstick out of gear. The engine was left running, but the car was no longer moving – and Kairi knew it had only stopped for her.

"Kairi, I need you to do something while I get you some food," Sora ordered her, speaking in a normal tone that still contained the seriousness he needed to get across to her. He pressed the button of the slot that was holding his seatbelt, which was released from it and flew up off him. "I'm gonna be getting out of the car. I want you to stay in here – and not look behind you through the back windshield."

"Why?" Kairi frowned slightly at the boy, finding the way he was acting to be very strange. She thought what he was asking her to do was a bit bizarre, which had her feeling very confused. "Sora, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting you some food, like I said," Sora explained softly to her, thinking what he had said was enough for her without giving any details she could not know. "I won't take long, but you've gotta do this for me. Please, Kairi."

Kairi's frown faded as she stared blankly at the boy in silence for a few seconds. She was still very puzzled over why he was telling her where she could not look, but decided to do what he said and turned away from him to look out through the front windshield. She was not feeling angry with Sora at all, as she knew that he was once again trying to make sure she would not go hungry – but she could not think of any reason why she was not allowed to turn to see over her shoulder.

After staring at the girl's head for a few seconds to make sure she was not going to look behind her, Sora quickly took his seatbelt off and opened up the car door next to him. He climbed out of the vehicle, letting the door swing shut behind him, and walked around the rear to stand in front of the trunk. A car drove swiftly past him along the main road, disappearing from sight within seconds. Sora looked down at the lock on the trunk, which would let him open it up without any keys with just one push.

Sora fisted his right hand and stuck out his thumb, which he used to press down on the trunk's keyhole. The decklid sprung up by itself, allowing him to see inside. Sitting all by itself in the car's luggage compartment was the basket he had placed in there before going to pick Kairi up. Sora stared at it for a few seconds, then took hold of its lid in his right hand to lift it up slightly. He left a small space between the basket and the lid which was wide enough to allow him to slip his left hand inside.

Grabbing hold of something that was in the basket, Sora brought his left hand out to pull out something that had been wrapped-up completely in tin foil. It was circular and about the same size as a frisbee, but was thicker and more difficult to hold onto in one hand, which meant Sora had to let go of the lid of the basket to use his right hand to help his left one hold it up. He did not want to drop it on the floor and send what it contained falling onto the tarmac. That would mean what was inside would be no good to Kairi.

Sora found one edge of the tin foil on the top of the object and pulled back on it slightly. Sitting inside the reflective, silver paper were some plain cookies. Sora lifted two of them out in his right hand, holding them up in front of his face as he considered them. He was unsure it they – combined with the sandwich – were enough to keep Kairi from feeling hungry, but he did think they would be able to give her a bit more energy. If they were not enough for the girl, he could always ask his mother not to drive from where they had parked so that he could get out some more – no matter how much Kairi would tell him not to.

Using the same hand as the one holding the two cookies he had pulled out, Sora flattened down the foil he had pulled back so that the rest of them were completely covered again. He lifted up the lid of the basket again a few centimetres, not letting it fall until he had placed the wrapped-up cookies back inside. Now that his left hand was free, he placed it up onto the decklid to push it down slowly. He had to make sure he would shut the trunk tight enough without creating a huge bang. Such a loud noise behind her would cause Kairi to look over her shoulder and through the rear windshield, unable to stop herself.

As he pushed the decklid firmly down into place to keep it shut, Sora found himself peering through the rear windshield and into the inside of the car. Nikkou was waving to him from the driver's seat, grinning widely as she noticed the cookie's in his hand. All he saw of Kairi was the back of her red hair instead of her beautiful face. He was relieved she had not looked back to see where he was getting the food from, but due to not being able to see whatever expression was on her face, he felt a little worried in case she was only not looking towards him because she was annoyed with him.

Starting to fear over how she felt towards him again, Sora quickly walked over to the door to the rear seat he had been sitting in. He hurriedly pulled it open and climbed into the car, stretching his arm out wide to hold the cookies in front of Kairi's face as he sat down in his seat. "Here, Kairi! Eat these!"

Kairi was very surprised to see a pair of cookies being held up right in front of her and blocking most of what she could see ahead. Smiling softly at the sight of them, she turned to the boy who was trying to get her to take them from him. "Sora, you didn't need to get these for me."

"I did, Kairi, because you said you're hungry." Sora gave the girl a desperate look, urging her with his wide eyes to take the food he was offering her. "Please eat them. They'll give you some more energy for the day."

Kairi giggled, both from the expression on Sora's face and the reason he was telling her to eat the food he had gotten for her. She could not bring herself to say no to either of them, so she took the cookies that were being held in front of her in her hand, which she lowered down to look at them. She held one up in her other hand and bit lightly into it.

"Are they alright?" Sora asked urgently as soon as he saw Kairi beginning to chew. He was afraid that unlike the sandwich he had given her, the cookies had not managed to keep themselves from going off. "Do they taste okay, Kairi?"

"They taste fine, Sora." Kairi had swallowed and was now grinning at the boy. "You don't need to worry. There's nothing wrong with them. In fact – they're giving me new energy, as you said they would."

Sora smiled widely and gave a laugh, pulling his door shut before taking hold of his seatbelt to put it on. He realized he did not have to worry about making the girl sick during the day, and he was pleased to see that she was now eating food instead of telling him she did not want any.

"Okay then, let's get on our way," Nikkou said to them. She had been smiling towards them from her seat and watching Kairi take the cookies from Sora, but had now turned away from them to concentrate on getting the car safely back onto the main road. The engine was still running, so the first thing she did was set the car into first gear. She checked the road in each direction, seeing that there was no other traffic coming from either way. Releasing the handbrake, she drove the car off the small parking area, using quick steering to get her onto the right driving position in the road.

Sora was not taking notice of any of the fields they were making their way past again. He was watching Kairi eating the first of the two cookies, smiling softly from how much she was enjoying them. "You're sure they're okay, Kairi? Definitely?"

"Yeah, Sora. They taste lovely," Kairi informed him before throwing the tiny remaining piece of the first cookie into her mouth, taking one bite of it before swallowing. She held up the second cookie in her hand, turning to face Sora with a curious smile. "But what I wanna know is where you're getting all this food from."

Sora's smile dropped when he heard what Kairi was asking him to tell her. He looked at her uncomfortably, unsure of how he was going to explain to her. "Oh… Kairi, er, um…"

"What's the matter?" Kairi gazed at the stammering Sora in bafflement. She thought she had asked him to tell her something that was pretty simple, so she could not understand why he was looking so nervous. "Sora?"

"You… You don't need to know that," Sora managed to get out of his trembling mouth. He knew Kairi was going to ask him even more questions and he had not yet thought of how he was going to answer them.

"What d'you mean?" Kairi murmured, becoming very confused again over the boy's behaviour, which she found to be as strange as it had been a few minutes ago. "I just wanna know where you got this food from, Sora. I forgot to ask you when you gave me the sandwich. Where did you get these cookies from?"

"Kairi… Really, just don't worry about it." Sora was able to calm himself as he tried to casually tell the girl not to ask for any more details. "Don't worry about where these cookies came from. You said they taste alright, so just eat them and make sure you have enough energy."

Kairi turned away from Sora and let her eyes fall onto the cookie in her hand. Smiling softly, she decided to do what Sora told her, as she really did not have any reason to worry about where it had came from. The first one had been very nice, and the one she was holding now tasted just as good as she took a small bite out of it. She let the wonders of where Sora had gotten it from and all the possible, unclear reasons of why he would not tell her leave her mind as she just sat back in her seat, munching lightly on the extra part of her breakfast that Sora had given her.

* * *

The car's right tyres rolled slowly onto the stretch of grass that was on the right side of the road. It was now moving at less than ten miles an hour and its low speed decreased even more as Nikkou pressed her foot down on the brake pedal. She glanced to her left, checking she was leaving enough space on the road so that traffic would be able to pass her car without hitting it, but then looked to her left to make sure that she was not parking too close to the fence. She did not want to pay to have scratches on her car sprayed over.

There were more hilly fields behind the fence, which Sora and Kairi were looking towards from the car's back seats and through the windows. They had spent the past ten minutes in the car chatting to each other without taking any more notice of what the road was leading them past. They knew it was all the same, and they had not been surprised to see more of it when the car had started to pull up. Kairi was gazing silently at the hills the car was braking next to, wondering if they were the ones where her surprise was going to be in. She thought it was very likely that they were, since they were coming to a stop, but she had not heard Sora or Nikkou say anything to confirm what she was guessing.

Sora was grinning excitedly as he took in the hills visible through Kairi's window. They were the very ones he had told Nikkou to drive up to, so that he and the girl would have what was supposed to be a fantastic view while they were enjoying her surprise. He had thought he would have had to remind his mother how far to take them, so he was glad that he did not.

Nikkou pulled up the handbrake as soon as she had brought the car to a stop. As she shifted the gearstick out of gear, she looked up ahead to see that fences on each side of the road came to an end in a few metres. She smiled softly to herself, knowing for sure that she had driven as far as Sora had wanted her to. Despite remembering the fields well, she had not actually known how far along the road she would have to drive. After switching the engine off, she unplugged her seatbelt as she looked back towards the two teenagers in the rear seats. "We're at the fields where you wanted to go, Sora."

Kairi gazed delightedly at Nikkou, the soft smile that was on her face widening into a grin. She quickly turned to Sora, her eyes managing to take in some of the field visible through the window behind him. "Is this where my surprise is?"

"That's right, Kairi!" Sora nodded at her, grinning widely upon seeing how delighted she had become from realising what she was about to find out. He glanced out of his window, looking up towards the hills that were on the highest point of the field, before pointing out to them as he turned back to Kairi. "And if you stand there at the top of the field, you'll be able to look down at the sea. Go and have the first look."

Kairi's excitement grew as she was reminded that the fields they were about to enter were right above the ocean. She could remember Nikkou telling her the previous night of how she had once walked through the fields and looked down of the view of the sea, which had made her want to see it herself. The girl hurriedly unplugged her seatbelt, throwing it off herself with one hand while using the other one to yank the handle of the door she was sitting next to, pushing it open wide.

After jumping out of the car, Kairi gazed up in amazement towards the hills behind the fence as she stood on the grass. It was much easier to see the field ahead of her on a bright day than on a darkened night. The sun was visible in the sky, millions of miles away from beyond the top of the field, and the strong light it was giving off was much brighter than what the moon had given during the previous night. It gave the illusion that all of the grass in the field the girl was just about to enter was a much brighter green than it really was.

Immediately deciding that the field looked more beautiful when admiring it in the sunlight, Kairi lifted her head up slightly to see where its highest point was. It was easy to find by noticing where the green of the grass connected with the blue of the sky. The walk up to that point would probably be very steep, but Kairi was confident that she would be able to sprint towards it easily and be able to reach it within seconds without feeling tired. She listened hard as she tried to search with her ears for a sound she desperately wanted to hear, beaming brightly when she managed to find it: the soft sound of waves splashing. Smiling eagerly, she turned away from the field to lock her excited eyes onto Sora – who was only just getting out of the car – expecting him to lead her up the field to be impressed by the view of the sea.

Sora noticed Kairi was still standing beside the vehicle as he pushed his door shut, wondering why she was not even beyond the fence. Smiling at her, he walked around the rear of the car to stand next to the trunk, resting his left arm onto the decklid. "Go on up, Kairi. Go and have a look at the sea. I'll be up right behind you in a minute."

Kairi was a little bit surprised that Sora was not going to join her on the top of the field straightaway, but her smile had only vanished for a second. Turning away from him (and forgetting to ask what he was going to be doing while she was on her own in her field), she took a step forward so that she was standing directly in front of the fence. Along with the one of the other side of the road, it had remained exactly the same for the many miles it had been built up to reach: two parallel lines made up of wooden planks that were held up by thick posts that were about six metres apart. It was less than a metre high, so it was easy for Kairi to climb over. She managed to pull herself over the wooden planks, finding her feet were now on the grass that was within the field.

Pulling her eyes quickly from her shoes and looking up towards the highest point of the hills – which was far ahead of her - Kairi smiled even wider as she started to race along the grass at her highest speed. The bumpy slope was a little steeper than she had expected, which added a little difficultly to her running. Kairi did not slow down, however, as she charged her way up the hills, passing the even bumpier sections of the field and becoming closer with each of her large steps to reaching the flat top that would allow her to look out at the beautiful sea below. As she took her eyes off what she was running towards for a few seconds, Kairi noticed a few brightly-coloured flowers growing in the grass. She had not been able to see them from the windows of Nikkou's car or from right outside the fence. She thought they made the field look even prettier to be inside.

As soon as her feet came down onto grass that was not sloping, Kairi stopped in her tracks. Her mouth fell open at the sight of what was in front of and below her, her wide eyes rolling around from one direction to another. They were trying to take in every detail of the fantastic view Kairi had found herself beginning to experience from the top of the high cliff.

The sea was far below her, as Nikkou and Sora had informed her of, but she had not expected to see so much of it from where she was standing, nor had she thought that she would be able to witness it behaving in so many ways at separate distances between her. It was a lot wilder at the foot of the cliffside – which Kairi was able to see as she looked down was a dark vermillion colour. There were very large waves washing towards where the bottom of the cliff was, all of them a much bigger size and flowing at a faster speed than the ones that splashed up onto the shore of the smaller island. The enormous waves that Kairi could see, watching them with high interest, also proved to be very strong and violent; they were striking the hundreds of rocks that were scattered around the water near the foot of the cliffside (with which they all shared their colour) with such a great force that the water which made the waves flew several feet up into the air. It fell back down to create a huge splash, along with several white bubbles to join the ones already on the uneven surface. The rocks did not budge an inch, remaining where they were to be soaked even more by each huge wave that hit them.

Miles away from the island, but still visible from the top of the cliff, the sea appeared to be a lot calmer. There were no boats to be seen travelling along it, so Kairi could gaze around from her left to right to take in plenty of the wide ocean that stretched out far ahead from her, seeing it in an undisturbed state that made it just as breathtaking from the very top of the cliff. All that accompanied the millions of ripples bobbing about on every part of the surface were a few reflections of golden light. They happened to be from the strong rays of the sun – which was adding its light to the sea, at the same time as brightening the green of the fields. The sky that the sun was in was still just as clear, filling all of the ocean's surface with its bright blue colour.

Kairi had not been counting how long she had been standing at the edge of the cliff, for she had been in too much of an awestruck state while gazing around at the view she had been excited to see. Even though the day before, she had been given chance to admire the ocean - along with so many parts of the main island - from almost the height of the sky, she thought it was just as wondrous to be closer down to it while standing somewhere that was still high enough to allow her to see plenty of it at once. She looked up to be facing out to the horizon thousands of miles ahead, smiling softly as she realized how far across the endless salty water her eyes were able to see. "This view is absolutely beautiful," she mumbled quietly to herself.

"It sure is, Kairi."

The voice which had unexpectedly come from behind her startled Kairi, as she had not been expecting anyone to join her on the hilltop just yet. Knowing exactly who it was that had agreed with her about the view, she turned to look over her shoulder with a grin already on her face, finding Sora standing behind her. He was grinning widely back at her, and had both of his hands out in front of him to carry the large wicker basket - which Kairi let her eyes fall onto for the first time. As it had been kept secret from her and hidden away in the car's trunk while she had been sitting in the back passenger seat, she was very surprised by the sight of it.

Her grin disappearing, Kairi stared with a puzzled frown down at the basket. She was wondering where Sora had gotten it from - but decided to find out first what his use for it was. "Sora, what have you brought that big basket for?"

Sora's grin grew even further as he dropped the basket down onto the grass in front of his feet. Carrying it all the way up from the bottom of the field to the top had caused his hands to ache once again, but he simply stretched his fingers to make the mild pain go away. The hinges of the basket's lid were facing towards him, so he stretched his arms out over the front so as to take hold of the lid and be able to pull it open.

As he gazed at the confused Kairi, Sora grinned silently at her for a few seconds. He remained completely still with his fingers around the edge of the basket's lid, then suddenly threw it back towards him in the space of a second. "To carry your surprise in, Kairi!"

The girl had just been staring at Sora's face after she had asked her question. Having heard clearly what he had just explained to her, her face immediately filled up with delight. Taking a few scurried steps forward to be standing right over the basket, she lowered her head to look inside and find out what her surprise was. Her eyes full of excitement widened when they fell onto what had been transported and carried all the way out to the field for her.

It had been the silver of the tin foil which had first grabbed her attention. There were five circular-shapes stacked up in the closest corner of the basket that was on Kairi's left, all of them wrapped up in the reflective paper. The beaming light from the sun was now able to enter the basket, bouncing off the shiny paper and creating tiny, yellow twinkles on it in the process. Kairi was unable to tell that one of the circular shapes of tiny foil contained cookies that looked and tasted exactly like the pair that Sora had given to her in the car, but she still had a strong, positive, hopeful feeling that all five of them contained food.

As she pulled her eyes away from the silver stack to see what else the boy had brought to go towards her surprise, her assumptions were confirmed by the pile of paper plates that were stacked in the upper left corner of the basket. Sora would not have taken them out to the field if they did not have any food to fill them with, nor would he have brought two plastic cups that happened to be sitting together on top of the pile. Kairi could see what they were going to drink from the cups: a large, transparent, plastic bottle was lying on its side, taking up a fair bit of space inside the basket and containing two litres of orange juice. Folded up neatly next to where the bottle lay was the only other object inside the basket that Kairi could see. It was a wide, square tablecloth that displayed a red and white chequered pattern, and would also have enough space when unfolded for the two teenagers to sit on with the plates filled with food around them.

Sora smiled softly as he watched Kairi examine everything that could be seen in the basket which pieced together her surprise. Her highly amazed reaction when he had told her why he had taken a large basket out with them had been very wonderful, and now witnessing her finally see what he had been carrying inside while trying to keep it hidden from her made Sora feel as happy as she was clearly becoming. She was probably able to work out what her surprise was by looking over the different items that could often be found together - but Sora decided to still tell her in case she was too amazed to group them all up in her head. "We're gonna have a picnic out in this field."

Kairi raised her head up to shoot the wide grin on her face at the boy who had just amazed her. Everything she had seen in the basket had given her an idea that her surprise was a picnic, but hearing Sora tell her himself was what had increased her happiness. A picnic was something the two of them had never before done together. Imagining in her head what they were seconds away from doing, Kairi could tell that she was going to love every minute of it. "A picnic? Out in this field? With _you_, Sora?"

"Well, it has to be with me, because I prepared it," Sora joked, shaking his head with a laugh as he closed his eyes. He was thinking back to the moment in the previous night when he had come up with the idea for Kairi's surprise. "I thought a picnic would be the best thing as a way of having fun in these fields. I picked this particular one, because it's right in front of the sea. I remember Mom explaining to us about the view being beautiful - which I can see it is. Even though I hadn't seen it until now, I wanted us to be able to look right out at it from here while we were eating our pic-"

Sora's explanation was frozen as he felt a pair of something slowly slide under his arms, wrapping around the front of his torso. His eyes shooting open with huge surprise, he stared out ahead of him with a dropped jaw. For a few seconds, he was too stunned to be able to move any part of his body. He finally managed to let his head fall to look down, realizing immediately what had a tight hold on him.

While she had been listening to him begin to explain to her about how he had planned out the picnic, Kairi had felt her gratefulness towards Sora grow and she had really wanted it to be clear by giving him a hug. The basket, however, had still been sitting in between where their standing positions were, and although she would have been able to stretch her arms towards the boy, it would have been a little difficult to get them fully around him. Kairi had decided, rather than just pushing the basket out of its place, to give Sora a different kind of hug which she thought he would like. She had walked around the boy while his eyes had been shut so that she was standing right behind him, which allowed her to slip her arms under his and be able to embrace him lovingly from the back.

Kairi tightened her arms around Sora's torso, smiling gleefully as the thought of sitting on the green hilltop with the boy she loved, eating plenty of food and watching the waves thunder around the rocks far below them. "That's an amazing surprise, Sora! I really love it and I can't wait for the two of us to start it! Thanks so much for doing it for me!"

Sora turned his head to look down over his shoulder, linking his eyes with the two twinkling ones that were locked upwards and fixed towards his head. Redness filled his cheeks as he smiled down at the girl, deeply loving the feeling of her arms around his front while she was standing behind him. She had always stood in front of him every other time she had hugged him before, which always allowed him happily return each embrace. The new hug she was giving him was completely different, but indeed felt as wonderful as every other hug she had given him in his life. It really helped to add to his happiness over learning that Kairi was very delighted with the surprise he had thought of the previous night and busily prepared for her that morning.

"ARE YOU TWO GONNA BE ALRIGHT OUT HERE BY YOURSELVES?"

Sora was taken aback by Nikkou's shouting voice, which he had not expected to be able to reach the top of the cliff from the road. As he gazed up from Kairi to look down towards the bottom of the hill, he felt her arms loosen around him before finally being pulled away. He glanced down disappointedly at the girl, seeing that she was turning away from him to try to find his mother from where they were standing. Wondering to himself if she would ever give him another hug like the one he had just received from her, he turned around to be standing with his back to the view of the sea, looking down towards the bottom of the hill. He could see that his mother was standing inside the field, a few metres ahead of the fence. Nervously, he began to worry if she had been able to see how Kairi had just hugged him from the flat level of the field.

Nikkou had clearly seen the red-haired girl stand behind her son and hug him tightly from the back - which had just brought a wide grin of amusement to her face, shooting it up towards where they were standing. She had been unable to see her son with Kairi's arms around his front, as she had been blocking most of him out and only half of the back of his head could be seen from the bottom of the field, looking like a dark brown semi-circle. Nikkou was very sure that while in Kairi's arms, her son had been smiling and blushing at the feeling he was receiving. She could see they now had their heads lowered to peer down the hill towards her, neither of them embracing each other (although she thought it was very likely they would after she would drive away and leave them).

She took a few steps forward up the slope so as to see the teenagers better, still projecting her voice loudly to get it to reach the top of the cliff they were standing on together. "I'M GONNA BE LEAVING NOW! WILL YOU TWO BE OKAY ALL THE WAY OUT HERE BY YOURSELVES?"

Sora's tensed up shoulders sunk as he felt the nervousness over being seen by his mother with Kairi's arms around his front leave him behind. He believed that since Nikkou had not passed a comment about him being hugged by the girl in a lovely way that he had never experienced before, there could have been no way for her to see him receive it. He gave a wide smile down towards where he could see Nikkou standing, the relief it was made of being joined by excitement. "WE AREN'T GONNA BE BY OURSELVES, MOM!" he called down deafeningly towards her, bringing his voice up much higher so that it almost hurt his throat. "WE'RE GONNA BE TOGETHER! WE'RE GONNA STAY TOGETHER FOR THE WHOLE DAY AND ENJOY OURSELVES TOGETHER!"

Kairi, who had been staring down at Nikkou timidly (as she was sure that the woman would have been able to tell that she had been hugging her son when standing behind him) lifted her head up and turned it so that she was smiling over her shoulder towards the boy who had just been in her arms. She had already begun having a wonderful time with him by being fed breakfast from him and finding out what the surprise he had planned for her was. His mother was about to leave them behind in the field, where they would be alone to enjoy their picnic and admire the view of the sea together. Kairi could not guess how long it would take them to eat as much as they wanted or how long they would stay in the field. Whatever they would be doing afterwards - whether it was where they were or somewhere else - they would be together. Even though the boy had already been taking her out on wonderful day trips and amazing her in so many different ways, Kairi was extremely happy that he was present with her again that day. If he had not been there, she would not have even spent some of the morning travelling along the road that had led her to the field the two of them were standing in.

"DO YOU WANT ME TO COME AND PICK YOU UP?" Nikkou shouted up to them, bringing up in her yelling voice something that she had not even discussed with Sora during the previous night. "OR ARE YOU TWO GONNA MAKE YOUR OWN WAY HOME?"

Sora's grin fell with shock and realization. He remembered that he had only spoken to his mother about preparing Kairi's surprise and how they were going to enjoy it, not thinking once about how they were going to return home when the day would finally end. Sora thought quickly in his head about which would possibly be the best way. It was a very long walk through the countryside and it would take him and Kairi a while before they would even be near to home - but if they were to have a lift from his mother, she would only give them a certain amount of time to enjoy the day before getting ready to go back. They would also probably have to stay in the field all day. If they did not have a set time to return home by, they would be able to have wonderful fun for many hours and would perhaps even get the chance to explore other parts of the countryside. Sora thought that would make the day even better, but he was not sure if Kairi would.

Deciding to find out, he stepped to the right so that he was no longer behind the girl. With a second step that took him forward, Sora was right beside Kairi. He looked down wonderingly at her, thinking she would be the best one of them to choose how to travel home. "Kairi? Do you want us to have a lift with Mom? Or do you wanna walk back?"

Kairi's eyes had followed Sora as he had moved to stand next to her. She had been a little stunned to learn that no return journey arrangements had been made, but being given by Sora the choice of how to return home made her glad; she had already decided how she wanted to leave the field, which was due to a reason that had been a thought in Sora's mind. "I want us to walk home if that's okay, Sora. There's a place not far from here that I want to visit."

"There's somewhere you wanna go?" Sora asked her, immediately becoming very intrigued. The girl had been thinking of the same opportunity as he had, and he was pleased to know that she also wanted to go exploring away from the field to go to another part of the countryside later on. He was sure the girl agreed with him that it would make the day even more fun, so he would take her in honour to wherever it was she wanted to visit. "Where is the place you want to go to, Kairi?"

"I'll tell you after we've eaten our picnic, Sora. We saw it yesterday from the hot air balloon. It's quite a fair distance away from here, but I think we'll be able to find it if we follow the right roads." Kairi's sweet voice had become quiet, her mind filled with thoughts of the place in the countryside she wanted to walk to with the boy. As she rolled her eyes upwards to gaze up at the boy, the smile on her face faded away as she began to worry that what she was requested would change too much of the day for Sora. She rose a hand up, spreading her fingers out wide as she frowned nervously at Sora. "We don't have to go anywhere else if you don't want to. I thought it would be a fantastic place to visit with you, but if you don't want to-"

"Why wouldn't I wanna go to some other great place with you?" Sora interrupted the girl in puzzlement. He found what she just had tried to assure him with was more than strange, for he would always try not to miss out on a chance to join her at a place she really loved. His scrunched-up lips spread out across his face, revealing a calm grin that was able to get rid of the entire confusion that had filled his expression. "I was thinking you might wanna leave this field after a while - rather than staying in here all day - to go somewhere else nearby. I'm very happy to hear you've already thought of a place you'd like to go. All you have to do is tell me what it is, then we'll go off to try to find it. I really think going there will make this day even better for us."

Kairi, looking up at Sora with the surprise she had received from what he had just told her, let her hand relax as her arm fell back down. The grin that had disappeared from her face when she had began to worry slowly eased its way back to where it had been. She was pleased and grateful that Sora was willing to take her to see another part of the countryside and her excitement was growing rapidly over the thought of seeing once again what had amazed her while she had been flying over it through the air. She was going to first enjoy, before they would even leave the field to search for the place she was thinking of, what Sora had thought of himself during the previous night and had taken her out that morning for her to have a wonderful time: eating the picnic he had arranged and packed for her, sitting down on the highest point of the beautiful hills which allowed her to see thousands of miles of the ocean from an eye-widening high angle. Everything they were going to enjoy while they were in the field had been thought up by Sora, and it all fitted together perfectly for Kairi to give her a brilliant surprise.

Sora lowered his head as he turned away from Kairi to look down towards the bottom of the field. He could see Nikkou still standing there, waiting for him to holler down an answer to the question she had bellowed up to him. "MOM! IT'S OKAY! WE DON'T NEED A LIFT HOME!" he yelled down echoingly to the lower level of flat, grass-covered ground she was standing on. "KAIRI AND I ARE GONNA MAKE OUR OWN WAY BACK!"

Nikkou had been wondering curiously what Sora and Kairi had been saying amongst themselves - which she had been unable to hear - after she had asked her question, and she was now very surprised by the answer which had finally made its way down towards her at a high volume. She continued to stare up towards the top of the tallest hill, her face fixed with a doubtful expression, to where Sora and Kairi were standing. "ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THAT? IT'S A LONG WALK BACK FROM HERE! I COULD DRIVE BACK IN THE EVENING AND PICK YOU UP-"

"NO THANKS, MOM!" Sora shouted down to her, hoping she would leave soon so that they could stop yelling at each other and he would not have to cause his voice to feel sore for much longer. "WE'RE GONNA GO LOOKING AROUND THE COUNTRYSIDE AFTER WE'VE EATEN OUR FOOD! WE'RE NOT IN A HURRY HOME, SO DON'T EXPECT US BACK UNTIL IT'S DARK!"

The explanation and alert Sora had given to her in almost an exploding voice raced through Nikkou's ears. It made everything clear to her as to why he and Kairi did not want to return home in her car. She let off a small grin, which she was sure they could not see from the top of the hill, as she thought about all of the beautiful parts of the countryside which they would possibly visit. Nikkou knew that wherever they would choose to go, her son would make sure that the girl was very happy with the place and would love it so much. She did not even need to join them on their days out to be aware of Sora's constant checks to ensure that Kairi was content with what they saw and did.

Stretching an arm up into the air, Nikkou began to wave up towards Sora and Kairi. She took a few steps backwards along the grass so that she was closer to the wooden fence, still bringing her voice up to vocally throw her farewells to them. "ALRIGHT THEN! I'LL SEE YOU BOTH UP AT THE HOUSE! BYE, KAIRI! I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR SURPRISE! SEE YOU LATER, SORA!"

"Bye, Nikkou," Kairi whispered faintly, not even attempting to bring her voice up as loud as Nikkou's, as she watched the woman make her way backwards to the fence. She slowly rose up her left hand as high as her head, giving a small, gentle wave with a soft smile on her face.

"BYE, MOM!" Sora shouted down to his mother, waving his right hand about madly while his eyes followed where she was below. He could see she had just turned around to climb over the fence, and he knew that as soon as she entered the car and drove it away, he would be able to start letting Kairi enjoy her surprise with him. His eyes were also filled with relief, as he had been amazed that his mother had actually agreed to let him and Kairi walk the long distance home by themselves. He had been afraid she would panic that they would not be safe and force them to be ready to get into her car by a certain time in the early evening.

As he watched his mother pull open the door to the driver's seat of the car, sadness found its way into Sora's eyes. Seeing her about to drive away from a long distance made him think about some upcoming dates. He had known all along that they were going to be spent mostly with his mother, although he had not yet managed to inform Kairi. He would have to explain to her in the best way he could by the end of the day, although he was first going to spend the next several hours keeping the girl joyful and making sure she was having fun.

Nikkou had mostly disappeared from view when she had walked around the left side of her car, pulling the door open to climb into the driver's seat. The teenagers' kept their eyes fixed to the small, blue vehicle, listening as the door was pulled shut with a bang, followed by the engine starting up and began to rumble (sounding much quieter from the very top of the field). The car began to move forwards a few yards with its right tyres still on the grass before it was steered left to drive towards the opposite edge of the road. It came to a stop only when its front tyres were less than an inch from going onto the grass beside the tarmac. It stayed where it was for a few seconds, then it started to slowly reverse right - as the teenagers had expected - only braking to a stop when it was on the correct driving position on the road, facing the opposite direction to the one Nikkou had driven along for several petrol-burning miles.

Now able to make her way all the way back along the road to return to her house, Nikkou drove the car forward, still attracting the attention of the pair of onlooking teenagers. Their blue eyes chased the car around the bend that had been the final one they had swerved around before they had arrived next to the field they were standing in. The car was picking up speed now along the stretch of road ahead of it, seemingly becoming smaller with each yard it raced. It had turned into a shiny blue dot as soon as it had travelled three miles straight, speeding around the next corner that was at the end of the straight stretch of tarmac (and also visible from looking out from the top of the cliff). The car was blocked out by the hills that were on its left - leaving Sora and Kairi behind to be all alone in the countryside.

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**In the next chapter, you'll be able to see Sora and Kairi enjoy their picnic, and thing that seem a bit unclear in this chapter will also be revealed. There's also – as you may have noticed – a bit of a spoiler for future chapters. Please don't ask about it. You'll learn more about it soon.**

**I think the chapters are starting to become too long. The length of this one is a bit ridiculous, and I'm worried that the future ones will be too long for anyone to want to read. So I'm gonna try and shorten the length of them, beginning with the next one. It may look a bit too short, but I'll try not to let that happen. It'll probably only look like that compared to the past chapters. :P**


	48. Spare Food

**Here's the newest chapter, which is very short in comparison to the last few chapters. That's what I aimed for, and it's roughly an average length, a bit like some of the early chapters. It took me a long time to written, however, because of so much stuff going on in my life.**

**Well anyway, I hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

Kairi's hand froze in the air as soon as Nikkou's car had disappeared from sight. A wide, excited grin made its way onto her face as she took her eyes off the bend in the road they had been fixed to, looking up to admire the miles of bright green that filled up the whole landscape. The certain part of it she wanted to visit later on, which she had seen directly from the basket of the hot air balloon, was not visible from the highest point of the field. Kairi was not worried that she would be unable to find the place when they would start searching for it, as she was confident Sora would know all of the directions they would have to take. All they needed to do was follow a couple of roads. It would be quite a lengthy walk before the area she wanted to see would even come into view, but Kairi knew that with her was the right boy to make the distance they had to travel more enjoyable.

As Kairi slowly lowered her hand, the huge sound of another wave thrashing against the rocks in the sea hundreds of metres below her reached up to the clifftop, roaring into the girl's ears. Her grin grew even further as she listened to the enormous, thundering noise, still gazing out at all of the beautiful countryside scenery that she could take in while her back was to the ocean. "Are we gonna start our picnic now, Sora?"

Sora's eyes full of growing misery and worry had fallen motionlessly onto the hill a few miles away, which had completely hidden his mother's car once she had started to drive past it. Having heard Kairi's voice speak softly to him, he quickly shot his widening eyes upwards as he rose his head in alert, trying to fight off the emotion he had already begun to build up. He turned nervously towards her, relieved to see that she was still facing away from him instead of seeing how miserable he had started to feel. "Alright, Kairi," he replied hastily. "I'll go unpack the food and lay it all out on the cloth."

Kairi turned her head away from all of the sightings that could be seen far ahead of her. The sparkling grin on her face remained wide as she gazed up joyfully at the boy who was standing nearby. His expression was not showing any sign that he had just briefly been feeling depressed, so she was completely unaware that he was in the middle of trying to heighten his mood for her benefit. Her happiness was increasing at the fact they were now alone together in the countryside, about to begin having a wonderful time. "Would you like me to help you set it all up?"

His eyes now relaxing at the sight of Kairi's smiling face instead of the back of her red hair, Sora grinned softly at her in return. Seeing right in front of him how delighted he had made her feel and how much she was looking forward to the picnic really did make his mood a lot better, causing the stress he had just been going through to disappear. His determined mind was focused on making sure Kairi would love everything they were going to do throughout the day. The beautiful expression on her face was what helped him to concentrate on reaching his goal; it was the only look he wanted her to give him.

"You don't need to help me, Kairi," Sora finally answered her after a silent moment of taking in her shining blue eyes and the grin across her face. He spun slowly away from her so that he was standing with the basket sitting right in front of his feet, still smiling as he lowered his arms to lift it up. "You just wait for a bit while I put it all together for us."

Sora took a few steps forward so that he was standing on the small section of grass that was flat instead of sloping. Realizing that he was now on the highest point of the entire field, he gazed out at the view of the ocean ahead of him to observe how much more of it was in view. He was highly awestruck at being able to witness the deep, blue, icy water behaving like a fierce beast at the foot of the cliff, where the waves were continuing to attack the rocks - while thousands of miles away from the islands, he could see it was completely calm and gentle, safe for boats to travel across. It was a fantastic view to be gazing out at, and Sora was pleased he and Kairi were going to be admiring it together while they were eating their picnic.

As he had left the lid of the basket open from when he had thrown it back to reveal the girl's surprise, Sora lowered his head down to look at the contents inside that he was carrying. Letting the heavy weight of the basket lower his arms down, he placed it gently down onto the flat grass, removing his hands from the sides. He reached into the basket with both hands, using them to take hold of one end of the folded-up table cloth. The moment he began to lift it out, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew at them from the direction of the ocean. Sora let out a startled cry while the tablecloth was unfolded in his hands by the breeze, stretching towards an alarmed Kairi. It flapped about wildly in the wind like a flag, not giving the stunned boy a chance to let him lay it on the ground without it being blown away.

Kairi was staring open-mouthed in surprise as she saw the cloth being forced around in several different directions, using Sora as a struggling flagpole. She knew that were he to try lying it down while the wind was blowing at them, it would be lifted away immediately and they would not have anything to set their picnic out onto - but if she just left him standing there, trying to keep hold of it, it would still be swept out of his hands anyway. She took a few steps onto the flat grass to be standing on Sora's left, turning herself to be facing him as she rose her hands up. She watched the cloth fluttering about madly in the strong, blowing air, waiting for it to flap into her direction so that she could grab hold of the free end. "Hang onto it, Sora! I'll help you get it down now!"

Sora turned away from the cloth that was flapping in front of him while keeping a tight hold of it, shooting a wide, nervous grin towards Kairi as he watched her attempt to take hold of the opposite end. "Kairi, I said you don't have to help me!"

"I know you said that, Sora!" Kairi laughed in amusement, yelling loudly to the boy to be heard above the wind. The free end of the cloth flew past her hands, which both missed it as they tried to grab onto it. "But if I don't help you, you're gonna lose that cloth! We need it to set our picnic out onto! I don't fancy eating off the grass!"

As soon as Kairi had finished shouting at the top of her voice to Sora, the free end of the cloth flapped right into her hands. She quickly closed her fingers around it firmly, not letting it wave about any longer. The wind was now blowing forcefully at the entire one side of it like a sail on the mast of a boat, trying to slip it out of the teenagers' hands and send it soaring through the air. It was unable, however, to steal the cloth from Sora and Kairi, no matter how strong it was: the two of them gripping onto its opposite ends tightly with both their hands kept the cloth from being lifted away from them. They were just as determined as each other to have their picnic, so they were not going to allow anything to take part of it from them.

Sora tilted his head sideways so that he could see Kairi on the other end of the cloth while still holding his end. The grin remained on his face, although it was now filled with gratefulness. She had insisted on helping him, and he knew it was not just because the wind had nearly taken one piece of their picnic away from them. Kairi had a heart which was full of kindness, which she used to always help him and others, no matter how large or small their needs were. Sora felt he should have expected her to help him set out the picnic even if he had rejected her offer. He was very appreciative for the girl's enormous, never-ending generosity. "Thanks, Kairi!" he called out to her, raising his voice up so that the wind would not drown it out. "Let's lay it down quick and then sit on it! That'll keep it from being blown away!"

Nodding quickly in agreement, Kairi grinned back at Sora as she tilted her arms to hold the cloth at a different angle. She gave a glance down at it, noticing the chequered pattern was coming into view more clearly, before looking up at Sora to see he was doing the same as her. The two of them were now holding it out flat, their arms stretched out wide to keep the two pointed corners that were on their ends in each of their hands. The wind blew with growing difficulty at one of the cloth's edges, still trying to force it out of the teenagers' grip. The angle they were now holding it at made trying to loot it more of a struggle for the defeated gust, which would now be unable to steal any part of the picnic from the teenagers.

Kairi went quickly down onto her knees, laying the cloth's two corners that she was holding onto the ground. She could feel her hair blowing wildly about in the fierce wind, but did not allow herself to become distracted by it as a few of her red strands blew into her eyes. Pressing her palms onto the two corners she had just laid down (to keep her end of the cloth on the flat section of the field) she lifted her head up to face Sora, finding out that he was smiling softly down towards her with his end still in both of his hands.

Seeing the boy just standing there motionlessly with a smile directed to her made Kairi grin widely at him in humour. "Come on, Sora! Get your end down now and sit on the cloth! Quick!"

Sora kept his small smile on his face as he lowered himself down onto his knees. He laid his end of the cloth out onto the ground, then pulled gently on the two corners he was holding so that there would be no bumps in the material. Once he was sure he had stretched it out properly and there were no sections that could be seen sticking up, Sora crawled onto the cloth, sitting down at his end to get himself comfortable. He lifted his head upwards to briefly smile at Kairi again before looking down over his left shoulder towards the open basket, which was sitting behind him on the grass. "I'll start laying the food out for us, Kairi."

The wind had finally ceased while Kairi had already crawled onto the cloth, kneeling down on the end she had been clutching onto. She leaned forward with a smile as she watched Sora pull the basket into view, hoping to see each part of her surprise as he set it all out. "Is this where you got my breakfast from, Sora?"

Sora gave a glance up towards the girl after he had finished sliding the basket along the grass to sit alongside him. He peered down into it to see the circular, tin foil-wrapped shape that was on top of the pile of its kind, taking hold of it in his left hand to lift it up for Kairi to see. "Yeah, I did, Kairi - and that's why I was a bit worried when I gave it to you; all the food I've brought here is actually some spare food Mom bought when she went shopping for things you'd need for my surprise party. She told me to take it, because I only told her about the picnic when we got home last night, and we didn't have any other food that would be suitable. Mom said the sell-by dates would not be up today, but I was afraid that they would be. I was worried when I was giving you that sandwich and those cookies that they had gone off and would make you sick."

Kairi did not feel the least bit worried after hearing what it was about the food that had troubled Sora. She just continued smiling softly as she eyed the silver shape in Sora's hand, wanting to know what food he was keeping inside. "Well, you didn't need to worry, Sora. Your Mom had told you the food would not have gone off. I know as well that it wouldn't have, since it's only been in your house for a few days. What you gave me this morning made me feel woken up, not sick."

Grinning in relief upon seeing how calm the girl had remained after hearing what he had explained, Sora held out the circular shape towards Kairi. He lifted his free hand up to pull back the thin edge of the tin foil, revealing inside was a paper plate that held all of the cookies that were alike the pair that he had fed to her in Nikkou's car. "Then would you like another cookie before we start our lunch?" he asked.

As soon as Kairi's eyes fell onto the cookies, they lit up immediately. She nodded eagerly up towards Sora, shifting forward so that she was kneeling closer to him. Running her eyes quickly over the cookies, she took hold of one, then held it up directly into the sunlight as she bite softly into it. The sweet, sugary taste that had helped to raise her energy earlier that morning returned to her as she chewed on it happily before swallowing. "Thanks, Sora. These cookies really do taste nice."

Sora laid the foil that was carrying the plate of cookies onto the cloth, pressing the edge down flat so that it would not fold over them. He turned to the basket to take out the next covering full of food that was in the pile, still grinning widely to himself. Inside the large, wicker container, he was hiding something which he thought tasted a lot nicer than the cookies. He was not going to take it out yet, because he did not want Kairi to eat it until they had finished everything else he had filled the basket with that morning. It would be a wonderful addition to her surprise, and he was expecting her to be really amazed when she would find out that he had decided to add it to the picnic.

He was also looking forward to getting to taste it again.

* * *

Sora had soon set out all of the paper plates that he had used to hold the food onto the cloth, having spaced them out so that they were all separate from each other. The tin foil that had been used to cover each plate was now unwrapped and being held down beneath each one, allowing Kairi to see the choices she had to create her own lunch. With delighted, widening eyes, she looked around to take in and recognise some of the same sorts of food she had seen Riku lay out across Nikkou's kitchen table when they had been preparing Sora's birthday party. She had not felt a bit surprised to learn that there had been some spare, and although she could see that there was not nearly as much as there had been at the party, all of it still looked good enough to make her feel hungry.

Reaching once again into the basket he had taken nearly everything for Kairi's treat out of, Sora lifted out two more plates, one on top of the other. Neither of them were wrapped in foil and they had not been carrying any food - but the boy knew they soon would be. As he took the one on top off of the other one, he held it out towards Kairi - shooting a little, nervous grin towards her as he noticed how she was looking around at all of the food. "Is this enough for you, Kairi? I'm sorry if it isn't. It's just Mom told me this morning not to take too much, or I wouldn't be able to carry the basket. But I did wanna make sure I would have enough-"

"It's fine, Sora. There's plenty of food here for me to enjoy," Kairi interrupted softly, looking up from the plates that were all scattered in front of her to send the sweet, beautiful grin on her face towards the boy who had laid it all out. She reached down with her right hand to pick up what was standing in front of her: one of the plastic cups, which Sora had just filled up with orange juice from the two-litre bottle after he had finished setting out the plates of food. She held it up to her mouth to take a few gulps of the refreshing, flavoured drink, then lowered it back down as she used her other hand to take the empty plate Sora was offering to her.

She was still smiling widely up at the boy, letting off a tiny giggle. "You didn't have to worry about bringing loads of food for me. People don't usually bring that much on picnics, otherwise they'd be stuffed. I don't mind how much you've brought for me, although I don't think I'm gonna be able to eat it all. So it's a good thing I've got you to help me."

Sora grinned joyfully back towards the girl, laying down the other empty plate - which he was still holding - onto the cloth. Since his eyes unable to look away from Kairi's smiling face, he stuck out his entire left arm to firmly grab hold of the orange juice bottle without even looking at it. Sitting right beside where he had placed it after filling Kairi's cup was the other one he had brought along. Remembering exactly where he had left it on the cloth, Sora rotated his hand rightwards, letting the thin, yellow juice pour out of the bottle, bubbling as it began to fill up the cup he was using to hold his own drink. "Well, I _had_ to make sure I brought along plenty of food, Kairi, because this is _your_surprise. I've also brought something else that tastes really lovely, so I hope you'll be able to enjoy it after you've eaten enough of the food here. That's when I'm gonna be taking it out of the basket."

The grin on Kairi's face disappeared as she stared at Sora in new surprise. She was very amazed to hear that she had still not found out everything about her surprise, even after Sora had revealed what it was to her. "What is it you've brought that tastes lovely, Sora?"

"Sorry, Kairi! I can't tell you!" Sora chuckled, looking down at the cup he was still pouring orange juice into - before quickly holding the bottle in his hand upright when he realized he was about to overfill it. After a quick observation of the amount of liquid he had allowed to fall into the cup (which only needed a few more millilitres for it to be completely full), making sure none of his drink would spill as soon as he would take hold of it, Sora stood the bottle down. Its tiny lid was lying a few centimetres away from it, but was soon picked up in the boy's free hand to be screwed back on. "It's something we're better off eating for our dessert. Just enjoy everything I've laid out here for now, but try to make sure you'll still be able to eat one more thing afterwards."

Kairi was still feeling a bit more confused as she gazed blankly at Sora, trying to think of what he was possibly keeping inside his basket. As she looked down to take in again all of the choices of food spread out across the cloth, she smiled softly to herself, deciding not to worry and begin putting together her lunch. The plate sitting nearest to her was holding a lot of different sandwiches, which had all been divided into groups that were based on their fillings. She picked up two that each contained a thin slice of ham, placing them onto her own empty plate. They were soon joined by a few potato chips, three tiny cheese blocks, a chicken leg and what was to be the fourth cookie Kairi would eat that day.

Grinning widely at all of the food that was sitting on her plate, Kairi used her free hand to take hold the thin bone of the chicken leg she had placed onto her plate. She lifted it up slowly to hold in front of her mouth, parting her teeth to bite softly into the juicy, rounded meat.

"Is that alright, Kairi?" Sora suddenly asked with panic. His face had filled up with fear as he watched the girl begin to eat her meal. His attention had been pulled away from her for a moment when he had looked down over his shoulder to place the orange juice bottle back inside the basket. Once he had thrown the lid of the large container shut, making sure Kairi would not be able to peer inside it, he had turned back to face the girl. Seeing that she was making a start on eating one of the chicken legs caused him to worry nervously. Even though she had told him earlier that the sandwiches and cookies tasted okay, he was afraid that what she had just bitten into had gone off. "It doesn't take horrible, does it?"

Kairi lowered the chicken leg from her mouth, turning to give Sora a huge expression of disbelief. Even though she was chewing on the meat inside her mouth, it did not stop her from being able to laugh quietly, for she knew why he was asking such questions. Swallowing, she grinned reassuringly towards the boy, placing the chicken leg back down onto where it had sat on her plate. "Sora... None of this food has gone off. Your mother has told you that, and she only bought it three days ago. You gave me some earlier of it and it didn't make me sick. The rest of it isn't going to, either. So stop worrying about me and start eating your lunch!"

Sora stared blankly towards the girl for a few seconds, trying to take in how fearless she was still feeling, before letting off a light chuckle. Realizing now that he needed to end his troubled thoughts of effecting Kairi's health, he began to fill up his own empty plate with some of the food he had been half afraid to feed her. "Sorry, Kairi. I hope I haven't been annoying you by constantly asking you those questions. It's just since we've had this food for a few days, I don't want it to make you sick."

"The only way it could make me sick, Sora, is if I eat too much of it!" Kairi giggled. "And I'll probably go ahead and do that, since it all tastes so good!"

She held up a block of cheese that had been sitting on her plate and popped it into her mouth. As she began to chew down on it, she turned away from Sora to look out at the view of the sea below her. Swallowing the cheese in her mouth, she gave a soft, relaxed smile, her eyes admiring the sparkling water that filled up the distance from the foot of the cliff. "It takes me back to your birthday party."

Sora stopped chewing on the cheese sandwich he had placed onto his plate and had just picked up to bite hungrily into. Feeling very surprised by what Kairi had just softly explained to him, he lowered his hand to put the half-eaten sandwich back onto his plate. He was trying hard to keep his pursed-up mouth from falling open in amazement. After chewing a little more, he swallowed the food down quickly, shooting a wide, joyful grin at the girl. "My _brilliant_birthday party, Kairi, which you did so much for - just to make sure I would love it!"

Having heard Sora gratefully remind her of the efforts she had made for his special day, Kairi turned away from the view of the ocean below her, grinning softly at the boy who was sitting down in front of her. "And _did_ you love it, Sora?"

"Of course I loved it, Kairi!" Sora confirmed loudly in a sudden, shocked response. The grin on his face had decreased slightly in size, for he could not believe the girl had asked him a question he had thought she already knew the answer to. "Why wouldn't I have loved the wonderful surprise you gave me on my birthday? You managed to get so many of our friends to be there, and everything you had done to go towards it was absolutely fantastic. The whole party was so amazing - and you're so kind to have done all that, just because it was my birthday."

"Well you had to have a party on your birthday, Sora, and I really wanted you to have a very nice one." Kairi could feel her heart beginning to beat a lot faster, since the thankful words which Sora had just spoken to her made her feel very touched. Her own smile now also becoming smaller, she looked down at the food on her plate, feeling that the boy was giving his thanks to the wrong person. "But it was your Mom's idea to have a surprise party, not mine. She just told me what to do for it."

"And you did _all_ the things she told you to do, didn't you?" Sora told her, knowing he was not wrong to be grateful towards Kairi after everything she had done to arrange his party. "I can tell _you're _the one who got everyone to go there. And did you tell them all what they needed to do to set everything up?"

Kairi looked up to nod at Sora, the smile on her face growing to become the wide grin it had been less than a minute ago once again. "Riku was the last person I told, but that was only because I didn't get a chance to see him before everyone else I invited. I ordered him to bake some of his cupcakes when we'd be arranging the food, because I remembered how much we loved them when we were at Disney Castle. I thought you would really like to get to eat some again."

"And that's something fantastic which went towards the party - and it was _your_ idea, not Mom's! She would have never thought of that, since we didn't tell her that Riku's a great baker." Sora was still grinning at Kairi, hoping that she was now realizing everything that had made his party so enjoyable for all who had been there would never have happened without her work and orders. "I was very amazed to see a bunch of his cupcakes on a plate in the kitchen - and I really loved eating one of them again. I wished, this morning, when I was putting all this food together, that I had a few more of them for us to enjoy today."

"It's alright, Sora. You didn't need any cupcakes to make me enjoy this picnic." Kairi held up her plastic cup in her left hand to take a sip of orange juice, then lowered it down as she swallowed to show Sora the soft smile on her face. "It's turned out to be a wonderful surprise - as I knew it would since last night, when you hinted it to me. I love all the food you've brought along, and I get to eat it whilst looking out at a breathtaking view of the sea."

After she placed her cup back onto where it had been sitting on the cloth, Kairi turned herself away from Sora so that she was kneeling where the wide sea would be ahead of her instead of at her side. She picked a few potato chips up in her hand and placed them into her mouth, munching on them as she smiled in amazement at the view she was taking in. "I've never been able to sit back and look at the sea from this high angle on the beach of the smaller island," she murmured quietly once she had gulped the chips down.

Sora had still been gazing at Kairi while she had turned away from him. The grin that had been on his face now gone, he glanced out towards the ocean she was admiring before looking at the plate he was still holding up in his hand. He had not realized he had hardly eaten anything he had placed onto it, and although he had decided not to fill it with as much food as Kairi had done with her own plate, it would still take him a bit of time to get through it all. His arm wobbled slightly, beginning to ache from trying to keep hold of the plate while remaining still.

Lowering his arm down to rest his plate in front of him on the cloth, Sora picked up the remains of the cheese sandwich he had taken one bite out of before forgetting about it completely. He shoved the uneaten half into his mouth, his cheeks puffing up as he began to chew on it rapidly. He would have to make sure that he would finish his lunch before or around the same time as Kairi - but if she had an empty plate before he did, he would need to have only a small amount of food left to get rid of by then. She would probably have quite a wait if she were to eat all of her food long before Sora did with his own, which would mean they would not get to enjoy together the special treat he was still keeping in the basket.

* * *

The two teenagers spent the next ten minutes eating their food in silence. Kairi had not so much as glanced towards Sora since turning away from him, for the fantastic view of the sea was not something she could make herself look away from so easily. It was the second day in a row she had been given the chance to take in something that could often be seen nearly every day of her life from a much higher angle. Gazing out at the ocean from the beach of the smaller island had always been a wonderful thing for Kairi to do - especially if the love of her life was there to admire it with her - but she had never before been able to stand on top of a cliff and find out how much of it she could see from there. The scene she had quickly found to be very beautiful was also proving to be extremely peaceful - which was the reason why Sora had not spoken to her after she had stopped looking towards him. He could tell that she really loved the atmosphere of the whole place they were in, so he had not wanted to disturb her by sending his voice into it.

Sora looked down at his plate, which he was holding up in his hand again. There was not a lot of food left on it, and he knew he was not going to refill it. He had noticed that Kairi's plate was also almost empty, so as soon as they both finished, he could show her what the last piece of food they were going to eat was. The thought of it, along with the conversation about his birthday he had with Kairi, was what kept Sora from admiring the view much. He had just been smiling towards the girl while eating, thinking about everything she had done for him on his birthday. She had really managed to take him by surprise when he had walked through the front door of his house to find out that she had prepared a party for him and invited a lot of their friends. It would not have been as brilliant without her being there, and Sora was very glad that she had been. The girl who was both his best friend and the one he loved being able to join in with everything she had planned for his party was what had given him a very happy birthday.

As he took a sip from his cup, which still had a small amount of orange juice left inside it, Sora thought of something else Kairi had done for his special day which had also succeeded in bringing a huge smile to his face. Lowering the cup from his mouth, he grinned widely to himself as he pictured in his head what she had given to him, his eyes blankly rolling upwards. He had been beyond amazed when he had first laid his eyes onto the beautiful item she had put together for him, and he was now free to gaze at it and hold it every time he went into his bedroom. It was one present he was definitely never going to let go off.

"You alright, Sora?"

Kairi had finally turned her head away from the view her eyes had been locked onto for the past several minutes, looking to her left to face Sora once again. She was a little taken aback by the abnormal expression the boy did not realize he was pulling, but the sight of it was able to make her giggle softly at how funny it was to her. Noticing his eyes were stuck upwards, she could not tell if he was daydreaming or just looking up towards the sky. Kairi thought Sora's expression was causing his face to look very silly - but it was still a face that she loved much more than anything in all of the worlds.

Hearing Kairi's voice travelling through his thoughts, Sora immediately snapped out of his daydream to turn his attention to the girl who had been part of it. His large grin faded quickly away as he blushed slightly with embarrassment. He was sure he must have looked ridiculous to Kairi by having his head in the clouds with an enormous, silly smile on his face. Having just returned to reality, however, he wanted to talk to her about what was remaining in his mind. "I was just thinking about the fantastic present you gave me for my birthday," he confessed sheepishly.

It was Kairi's turn to replace her own smile with a blush, except hers turned out to be much deeper than Sora's. She was even more amazed to hear that he had been thinking about the photograph of themselves standing together on Sunset Hill, kept inside the golden, heart-shaped picture frame, than she had been by the sight of the ocean below them. She turned herself towards the boy so that she could gaze at him more easily with the heartfelt emotion that had filled up her eyes. "My... My present to you?"

"Which was another generous thing you did for me that you thought of by yourself," Sora explained, nodding supportively at Kairi. "I really loved having that picture taken with you, Kairi. It was nice to stand beside you on Sunset Hill with Hayner pointing your camera at us. And when I first got a look at the picture on the screen, I thought it was very wonderful. But on my birthday, when I pulled off the wrapping paper you'd used and saw it as an actual photograph, kept inside a pretty picture frame, I couldn't believe how much more amazing it was!" The grin that had just disappeared from the boy's face quickly returned. "I keep it on the windowsill in my bedroom. Right before I go to bed, or just when I wake up, I always take it off there and hold it to have a good look at how beautiful it really is."

The blush on Kairi's cheeks had become even deeper as she grinned softly up at Sora. The way he had just described about how he felt over receiving the first picture that had been taken of the two of them while his arm had been around her shoulders was bringing her happiness up to a much higher level than before. "I'm really glad you love your present, Sora."

"I really do, Kairi... Although..." Sora's voice trailed off, his mouth suddenly falling open in realization. He turned his head away from Kairi and towards the sea, raising his hand to press his fingers up against his chin. His head was still filled with deep thoughts of the birthday present the girl sitting with him on the cloth had given to him. He still considered it to be a fantastic gift - although it was only now he was thinking about the way a certain part of it which had helped it to look even more beautiful had been created.

Taking in the shocked expression that had appeared on Sora's face, Kairi's grin vanished again as she was struck with vast, growing panic. She had a strong feeling that something was beginning to trouble the boy, and it seemed likely it was to do with what the two of them had just been discussing. "Sora? What is it? Although what? Are you okay?"

No answer came from Sora. He just continued staring silently out in the direction of the ocean, having heard Kairi, but still going through his stunned, puzzled thoughts for a little longer. His eyes were not taking in any of the rough, rampaging water that was far below him. The waves were hitting the rocks that sat in their paths with a much stronger force, causing more enormous splashes that were able to send their water even further into the air than before. Sora's brain was working too hard on what he was thinking about to allow him to see how much closer the cold, salty drops were to being able to reach the height of the clifftop.

"Sora! Speak to me!" Kairi demanded sharply, her voice now raised to become much louder, trying harder to receive some answers to the worrying questions she had just thrown with all her fear at the boy. "What's the matter? Is there something wrong with the present I gave you?"

"There's nothing wrong with it, Kairi," Sora murmured quietly, his face briefly scrunching up as his confusing and surprising thoughts continued to race through his head, before he finally turned back to face the girl again. The wrinkles that had crept their way across his face disappeared instantly as he let the deep, puzzled frown he had just been shooting fade away - although the true, shocked state he was going through was still clear. His mouth hanging wide open, he gazed directly at Kairi's frightened expression, his stunned eyes making room to fit in a lot of disbelief over her.

"But there's something about it which I really need to ask you."

* * *

**Hopefully, the next chapter will not take too long to write – but if that does happen, I apologise in advance. I hope to get it up before the year ends.**

**Keep an eye out for it, and you will then find out what it is Sora need to ask Kairi – whether it's something good or bad… ;)**


	49. Deceit & Dessert

**Sorry it's been very long since the last chapter. :( I'm not dead, and I have in fact been working on this one since before Christmas. But due to how busy my life is, I didn't manage to get it done by the time I hoped it would.**

**So I apologise for keeping you waiting to find out what Sora wanted to ask Kairi – but you can finally find out now.**

* * *

"What do you need to ask me?" Kairi cried, her fear over the way Sora was thinking about her present to him increasing. She could feel her shoulders tensing up tight, beginning to hurt badly from how deep the stress she was putting herself through was.

Sora's face fell in shock when he realized how worried the girl kneeling in front of him had become. His mouth hanging open, he hurriedly raised a hand up, waving it as quick as the speed he was shaking his head at. "No, Kairi! Don't be afraid!" he exclaimed urgently. "I'm not gonna ask you anything bad! You don't need to be frightened, 'cause I'm just gonna ask you a few things about the present!"

Kairi's lips pursed firmly together for a few seconds as she stared at Sora with the troubled expression on her face. For once, the kind boy's efforts to relax her while she was going through a state of panic were not enough to calm her down. She refused to take what he had just tried to assure her seriously, since the way he had just been behaving while he had disappeared into his thoughts caused her to believe whatever question he was about to ask her _would_ be bad. "What do you want to ask me about the present?"

His hand freezing in the air, Sora lowered it down slowly. His head had stopped shaking, and he was gazing directly at Kairi's expression in half puzzlement, half concern. He could easily tell that she was still feeling very frightened, even though he had just informed her she had no reason to. He had not yet asked her the questions he needed answers to, and although she had probably already thought up some ideas of what they could be, knowing they were in relation to her present to him, Sora did not think they would be anything like what she was fearing. They did not seem to him like the sort of questions Kairi would feel she needed to be afraid of.

"Sora, what is it you wanna ask me?" Kairi was sounding much more desperate now. Her expression was still clearly full of worry, but she had somehow managed to ready herself for the boy's questions. She did not want to be kept waiting for them with him sitting in silence for another second, and just wanted to know what was filling his mind. "What you need to know about the present?"

Sora swallowed, taken by surprise at the girl's tone as the two questions ran through his thoughts again. The first of the two, now that he had another think about it, seemed a little rude to him, making him begin to feel a little nervous himself. It was something he had never asked anyone who had ever given him a birthday gift throughout his life. Kairi was now ordering him to ask her them, however, and although he had only just started to grow worried about how she would probably react to the first one, he knew she would just keep nagging him until he would let them out to her.

"I need to know, Kairi … where you got the picture frame from."

Kairi jerked upright in immediate alarm at the sound of Sora's first question, her mouth falling open wide. She had not been expecting it to be solely around the picture frame she had brought to keep the photograph of her and Sora inside, but what the boy had just asked her had indeed turned out to be something which would make her feel very scared to answer. "The … picture frame?"

Sora frowned hard at Kairi in fret over her, sensing already how more frightened she had now become. He could tell that she did not think his question made him sound rude or nosy, although he did not understand why wanting to know where she had bought a beautiful piece to his present had caused her to feel absolutely terrified. "Are you okay, Kairi? What's wrong?"

Unable to bear facing Sora while he was waiting for her to tell him what he was curious to learn, Kairi quickly turned away from him, looking down in her terror towards the section of the road below them that ran alongside the field. The horrified expression remained on her face as the huge amount of panic she was going through worsened. She did not know how she was going to admit to Sora where she had purchased the picture frame from. She did not want to, due to the fact it had been from the latest store in their hometown, where shoppers would go to buy presents for the ones they were in love with. Although that was the exact way she had been feeling for Sora for so many years of her life, Kairi was confident that he did not feel the same way for her. She was very frightened of the way she expected him to react if she were to tell him she had bought the frame from Hearts and Kisses, believing he would not take the truth the way she wished he would.

"Kairi? What's the matter? Are you feeling alright?"

The girl's ears immediately picked up how concerned Sora had now become within his voice. Knowing that he was still waiting for her to tell him where she had brought the frame for their picture from, Kairi began to tremble in all of her deep fear, realizing she could not remain silent for much longer. Not saying a single word would lead to Sora becoming panic-stricken, stressed and possibly angry with her in just a mere few seconds. She did not want to make Sora go through any of those moods, so she forced herself to slowly lift her head up. She turned it hesitantly to face the boy with the scared expression on her face – but let her frightened eyes fall quickly onto the cloth she was kneeling on when she saw that the frown on his face had disappeared. It had been replaced by a completely different expression, which clearly showed how troubled she was making Sora feel over her.

"I … bought the frame, Sora …" Kairi murmured nervously, feeling deep emotion rise into her voice as she allowed herself to become upset over the way she thought Sora would respond, "… from … Hearts and Kisses."

The moment the girl had admitted to him what she had been afraid to let him know, Sora's body suddenly shot upwards before stiffening. He stared at Kairi in a huge level of astoundment. His lower jaw had fallen as far as it could go while his blue eyes had widened, completely full of shock. It was almost impossible for him to take what Kairi had just struggled to say to him as the truth. He had never once suspected that she had bought the frame which held the sweet picture of the two of them from the store which sold gifts for loved ones.

"_Hearts and Kisses?_" he cried out at Kairi in all of his disbelief. "_That's _where you got the frame from?"

Her fear now increasing much further, stretched by the way Sora had just bellowed to her, the girl worriedly lifted her head up in a very slow manner. She was horrified by the sight of Sora's stunned expression, which caused her to jerk herself backwards the moment her eyes had started to take it in. It was informing her, as was the way Sora had just repeated the name of the shop she had just mentioned to him, that he was obviously shocked to learn where she had bought the picture frame from. As Kairi had been nervously expecting, he did not appear amazed or happy to find out that it had come from Hearts and Kisses. She felt she was about to burst into tears, for she believed the boy was going to angrily declare that their wonderful and strong friendship was over.

Sora turned his head slowly away from Kairi, sending his stunned expression down towards the waves that thrashed fiercely against the rocks below them. He was still having difficultly trying to accept what the girl had just made clear to him. He had just found out the latest store which the two of them had actually visited together, learning that it was where someone would go to buy a present for a person they absolutely loved, was where the frame which held their photograph had come from. Kairi had bought it from there with her own money, giving it to him (with the picture stored inside it) on his birthday. It truly was a wonderful present to receive from the girl he was in love with – but she had just managed to surprise him with it yet again. He was a little surprised by his own behaviour as well, for he would have usually expected himself to be thrilled to find out that Kairi had bought something for him from a store that sold such gifts. He could understand why he was feeling so shocked, however, for he had just found out she had gone ahead and done that only a few days ago.

"Sora?" Kairi called faintly, her face turning white as she gazed fearfully up at him. She had just been silently taking in with her worry how he had reacted to the name of the store she had been to for part of his gift, and having to watch him look away from her while not saying a word had made her go into a more terrible state. Her ears were waiting nervously for him to say or bellow how he was now feeling to her, but since he was seemingly choosing not to answer to her, she had used her shaky voice to attempt to make him, even though she was sure she would be heartbroken by what she was about to hear. "Are you … okay?"

Hearing Kairi speak to him in her fear reminded Sora to ask her the other question that had come into his mind. His shocked expression becoming replaced with a small frown that was filled with puzzlement, he turned his head to shoot it at the girl. He was able to tell by her face that she was now feeling much more stressed and afraid, but he knew she would still feel like that even if he decided to hold his second question in. He really needed to ask it to her and receive an honest answer.

"How come you bought me a picture frame, Kairi, which was in the shape of a heart?"

The second question she was being challenged with caused Kairi to instantly freeze in her panic. Her face was filled up with far more fright than before as she locked her widening, scared eyes onto Sora. Her lips had gone still the moment after her mouth had fallen open wide, a few tiny, worried cries only just managed to escape from it. She was alarmed by the way the boy was frowning at her, which she believed was combined with the way she thought he felt towards what he had just asked her about. Hearts were a symbol of love, and although that was the way she strongly felt for the boy, she had always decided to keep it from him. The way he was questioning her now – as well as the way he was frowning at her - made it very much seem as if he had just found out these feelings she had for him, but wanted her to let him know that he was right so that he could decide to stop having anything to do with her.

Able to realize from the increased horror in her eyes that Kairi was now feeling much more afraid, Sora got rid of his frown as he looked at the girl with an expression that made his worry towards her a lot clearer. The way she was emotionally responding and behaving at the sound of his questions was very puzzling for him, but ever seeing her go into such a state would be his cue to try to find out what was wrong and calm her down. "Kairi, what's the matter? Why are you looking so scared? Are you okay?"

Kairi let her head lower as her eyes fell onto the red and white chequered pattern of the cloth again, not one ounce of her fear draining out of them. The gentle, kind tone Sora had just spoken to her in had told her that the boy was feeling worried about her instead of angry, but it was not enough to make her feel she did not have anything to be frightened about. Sora might not have realized that the gift described the way she felt for him, but he had still asked her a question which her love for him was the answer to. She knew the way she was reacting to the question would not make him just forget about it and move onto to something else, but she thought the answer she had which he did not know about would drive him away from her forever.

"Kairi, what is it?" Sora asked, leaning forward slightly so that he could see her face better. The moment his concerned eyes were able to take in her expression once again, he suddenly realized - to his immediate alert – how heartbroken Kairi was feeling along with her stress and fear. He saw that her lips were pursed together tightly while her eyelids had narrowed, as if she was trying to keep herself from crying, and that was what made him shift forward across the cloth on his knees to put his arms comfortingly around her. "Why are you feeling so upset? Will you please tell me?"

The girl instantly rose her head up in surprise when she realized she was being embraced by Sora. She turned slowly to gaze at the side of his head, her mouth back to hanging open and her eyes widening again. Her arms remained completely still. She was very frightened that the hug she was receiving would be the final one ever from Sora, and she really wanted to return it to him. It was her own fear of the likeliness that Sora would hate her if she told him the honest answer to her question that kept her from being able to hug him back.

Sora frowned deeply in worry and sadness when he realized Kairi was not returning the embrace. He was a little upset himself to not receive the warm feeling he always had whenever the two of them shared a hug, but it told him that the girl was going through a problem too serious to make her give him one back. _All I asked her was where she got the frame from and why she bought one in the shape of a heart, _he thought miserably as he reached up with a hand to gently stroke Kairi's hair. _And she's gone into this state. Why won't she tell me what's wrong? Was it me who made her feel like this or was it the questions?_

It was the instant Sora had finished silently asking himself the questions in his mind when they were pushed aside by a new, sudden and overwhelming thought that took just one second to shock him. His jaw dropping, he could feel what he had somehow imagined settling inside his head, not yet to be accepted by him. It felt impossible for him to believe. It happened to be a very wonderful, happy thought which, for many years of his life since Kairi had come into it, he had wished would be true. Considering it inside his head to actually be an actual fact he had never known was proving to be a difficult challenge. He was trying not to allow himself to fall for the happiness-filled illusion he expected it to turn out to be, but he had already begun to wonder if it was the answer to the questions he had asked the girl. He hesitantly turned his head to look towards hers, noticing she was now looking downwards and keeping her face hidden from him.

_Is Kairi … in love with me? _Sora asked himself in his mind, shocked that he was even thinking over such a question, but believing it was able to link with the way Kairi was behaving. _Is that why she bought a heart-shaped picture frame from Hearts and Kisses for my birthday present? Is it supposed to be a symbol of how she feels for me? She's never said anything about feeling for me this way for me… but could she have decided to just keep quiet, like I have done for all these years?_

Kairi remained completely silent with her face still kept out of Sora's sight, not making a single sound. Sora continued to slowly brush his fingers through her soft, red hair, his stunned state not leaving him behind. The disbelieving thought stuck in his mind like a piece of old chewing gum, waiting for him to accept and believe it.

_Does the girl I love … love me back? _he thought hopefully to himself.

The boy was suddenly snapped out of his disbelieving thoughts when Kairi startled him by unexpectedly raising her head, gazing up at him again. He stared down at her in surprise, noticing how blank her expression had now become. There did not appear to be any misery or fear visible within it, but Sora could not sense any other emotion from the girl at all. Returning quickly to his enormous amount worry towards over her, he was just about to ask Kairi what was going on – but was stopped from saying a word when he noticed a small smile was slowly making its way onto her face.

Sora frowned slightly down at the girl, baffled instead of relieved by the slight of the new expression she was giving him. She had just been behaving completely terrified after finding out what he had wanted learn about the picture frame, so seeing her bring a smile to her face without saying a word was not enough to make him believe she was now out of her fear and sadness. It did not appear to him as though it was a smile made from nothing but happiness, which made the way Kairi's mood had suddenly changed even stranger for him to take in. "Are you okay, Kairi?"

The fifteen-year old nodded her head slowly, the smile never leaving her face. While Sora had been going through his thoughts, she had been having her own, and had managed to come up with a way to answer his question without revealing her feelings for him. She was ready to provide the boy a reason for giving him the picture frame she had chosen; one which she thought would not make him want to end their friendship. "I chose the heart-shaped frame, Sora, because I wanted a really beautiful frame to hold our picture in. I saw the ones that were for sale in Hearts and Kisses, and it was the only nice one there."

The boy's face fell with new shock and disappointment as he took in what Kairi had just told him. It was very hurtful for him to learn what he believed was the sole reason for receiving a heart-shaped frame from her for his birthday, as he had really expected her to admit to him that so long, she loved him as much as he loved her. "That's why? You just wanted one which would look beautiful?"

Kairi nodded again, this time, with eagerness and a wide grin upon her face. She remained in Sora's arms for a few more seconds – then leaned back forcefully to send them falling off from her. The amount of shock within the boy's face doubled as his rose his head filled with horror up to face her, alarmed by how she had just broken the hug he had been given her (which she had not returned). He could feel the pain that had already begun to build up inside his heart worsening, as he was now allowing himself to believe he had been wrong about how he had hoped she felt for him.

"I decided on the day the picture of us was taken that I was going to give it to you inside a lovely frame as your present," Kairi explained, feeling no guilt as she thought explaining how she had come across the heart-shaped frame without having to tell Sora she loved him was not the same as lying. "So when we went inside Hearts and Kisses together, I had a look at the picture frames that were sold there. Since most of them were just ordinary, square ones, I decided to get you the heart one, because I thought you would like that one a lot more."

As he stared in misery and heartbreak at Kairi for a few seconds, Sora realized that his arms were frozen in the air from when she had forced her way out of the hug he had given her. Urgently thinking that he looked ridiculous in front of her, he left them drop dully to his sides, his eyes that were locked onto the girl filled with aching sadness. "And that's the whole reason why you put the picture of the two of us in a frame shaped like a heart?"

"Yeah." Kairi turned away from the boy to look down at where on the cloth she had placed her almost empty plate, taking hold of it in her hand and lifting it up carefully before looking towards the sea. As her awed eyes took in as much of the wide, stunning, twinkling surface of the water below her and Sora again, she picked up her cup from where it was standing near her on the cloth. She took a few gulps to drain down the small remaining amount of orange juice that she had left, placing the cup back down and smiling to herself towards the view. "And I'm really happy you love it, Sora."

Watching Kairi begin to finish off her picnic meal caused Sora's heartbroken thoughts to be stricken through, dividing in half as he remembered that he still had food left on his own plate. Looking over his shoulder and down towards where he had left it on the cloth, he let his eyes that contained his growing depression fall onto the chequered pattern as he dragged his knees along the material back to where he had been sitting. He turned to frown directly down at his plate, noticing all that remained on it where a few potato chips and a single cookie. He took hold of it and lifted it up gently to get a closer look at what was resting on it, then slowly turned his head away from it (although keeping it in his hand) to send an upset gaze all the way down the cliffside and to the ocean.

Kairi was not wrong about what she had just cheerfully and innocently stated about him. He really did love the birthday present he had received from her. The picture that had been taken of the two of them had been truly beautiful since when it had only been viewable on the small screen of her digital camera. Being given it by her on his special day, fully developed, held in his hand and looking even more amazing, had definitely made it turn out to be a wonderful birthday present. The frame which Kairi had chosen to present the photograph within and let him keep it inside was very pretty as well, but it what had led Sora to be feeling the broken mood he had now fallen into. He had only just thought, for the first time, about simply the frame itself, rather than how it was just being used to hold the photograph in. Realizing that Kairi had chosen one shaped like a heart over ordinary, rectangular-shaped ones had made his first ever beliefs that Kairi felt the same way for him as he felt for her strong. He had been shocked by his own thoughts, but had quickly begun to feel positive that Kairi loved him with all her heart (which he knew was much larger than the frame). His reason for asking her first if she had bought the golden piece of his present from Hearts and Kisses had been due to his wanting to gather a little more evidence before he would give her the question which he had hoped she would answer by telling him what he would have finally felt able to confess to her.

How Kairi had just answered the more desperate of his two questions had torn Sora's heart to pieces. He really did believe that she had only chosen the heart-shaped frame just to make sure he had something beautiful to permanently keep the photograph of the two of them inside. He loved the girl much more than he would ever love his present from her. For all the years he had had his feelings for her, he had been sure she had never nor would ever feel the same way for him. He had managed to keep his life with her very happy, however, by always putting his best effort into doing whatever would make _her _happy and realize how much he valued their friendship. Receiving an answer to his second which seemed to him like a concrete confirmation that she was not in love with him had succeeded in hitting Sora where it badly hurt, causing him to fight against letting out the emotion he could feel building up rapidly inside him.

He had no way of knowing that he just had been completely right about the way Kairi felt for him.

The girl was still smiling softly to herself as she munched on the tiny remains of her cookie, which had been the piece of her meal she had chosen to save for last. Turning away from the deep, blue ocean far below her, she allowed her eyes to fall onto the empty paper plate resting in her hands. Realizing she was still feeling a little hungry, she looked around at the other plates that were all still sitting in their places on the cloth. Each of them still contained plenty of the food they had been holding since the early morning, but Kairi had already decided she was not going to each any more of it. She remembered Sora telling her that he had bought something else along that he wanted them to enjoy after they had finished their main meal. Since her own plate was now empty, she was feeling eager and ready to be given the extra treat the boy had kept a secret for longer than the rest of her current surprise.

As she swallowed what was left of her cookie, Kairi's small smile grew into a wide, excited grin. She parted her teeth as she turned her head to thank Sora for the fantastic picnic which he had succeeded to make her enjoy - but she was stopped from expressing her gratefulness as she noticed with shock the way he was looking directly down towards the sea, which she did not believe he was even taking in. She was facing the right side of his head, so she was unable to see the full expression that had formed onto his face. She was sure, however, that she was sensing deep sadness from the boy, which caused her to become urgently worried about him.

"Sora?" she called out with how upset she felt over the boy's depressing mood within her tone. "Are you okay?"

Picking up how concerned the girl was feeling for him from the way she had just spoken, Sora's head immediately shot up in panic. He could tell without even looking at Kairi that she could detect how he was feeling, but he did not want to admit it to her. The time they had spent together in the field, eating their picnic food and admiring how pretty the scenery all around them was, had started off wonderfully. He did not want to ruin it all by causing the girl to feel stressed and unhappy about him. He also did not want to let her know what the reason why he was feeling miserable was, as he was now sure it was something she would never say back to him.

Pasting a forced, but normal-looking smile onto his face, Sora turned to face Kairi. He could feel his sadness growing even worse as he took in how troubled the girl appeared as she stared at him, but he took a deep swallow to make sure to force his emotions out of his voice. "I'm alright, thanks, Kairi. You don't need to worry about me."

"Are you sure?" Kairi murmured quietly, her fretting state remaining the same as she took in how Sora was now behaving while answering her question. She was unsure if he was being honest with her, and was trying to work out whether or not the smile on his face was just something he was putting on for her. "Every time I see you sad, my best friend, that always makes me worried about you."

"But I'm not sad _now_, Kairi," Sora lied, hoping his voice was not letting her know he really did feel the opposite of what he wanted her to think. He could actually feel his mood lifting a little, as he felt moved by her telling him how she was affected every time he would be in sadness, as well as the fact she had just addressed him as her best friend. He did not want to ruin the day and cause her to feel upset, however, so he would not allow himself to let her truthfully know how his mood had just been brought down. "I was just looking down at the really brilliant view. I'm really enjoying this picnic I'm having with you right now, and I want you to as well instead of worrying about me when there's no reason to."

Kairi looked down stressfully at the cloth she and Sora were kneeling on, her mouth hanging open slightly as everything she had just been told was replayed in her head. She still could not tell if he was lying or not, which made her wish she was better at being able to tell how people felt without being told. If ever she saw Sora or any one of her friends with miserable facials expressions, sagged shoulders and heard them speak in broken, hurt voices, she would realize straightaway that they were feeling upset and act immediately to comfort them. The day before, when she, Sora and Nikkou had been on their way to the hot air balloon, the boy had been able to tell she was heartbroken, even when she had tried to hide it from him. She wished she was able to do the same for him right now, but the smile he was giving her really did appear to be normal, seemingly full of calmness instead of looking forced like hers must had done when she had lied to him on their way to the large field.

If she found out Sora was hiding his true emotions from her, Kairi would not have felt the least bit angry with him for lying to her. She would have just done her very best to comfort him and try making him feel better while her own sadness, as well as her worry for him, would have grown even further than it had been before he told the truth to her.

Sora's false smile snapped off his face, as he could tell from the way Kairi was looking downwards that she had slipped rapidly away from the happiness she had felt for most of the day. She had fallen into further misery and fret that he had created for her, which led him to frown in regret and shame. He was trying to think of something to say to bring her mood back up to the height it had been and let her no longer worry about him - but because of what he could not tell her, which was the hurtful reason that had led him to feel upset in the first place, Sora was unable to say anything natural that would almost always succeed in making Kairi feel better. He was just beginning to grow angry with himself for upsetting the girl and ruining the special day he had prepared for her, when he noticed the plate in her hands was empty.

His frown falling, Sora stared down at the girl's plate, stunned and hopeful. He was reminded of the last bit of food he had packed the picnic, which he had not taken out of the basket when he had set everything else out. He had told Kairi he would wait until the two of them had finished before she would find out what it was. There was still a small amount of food left on his own plate, but Sora had already decided he was not going to bother finishing it off. He was sure the last part of the surprise he had prepared for the fifteen-year old would cheer her up. He could not just let her carrying on feeling gloomy for any further seconds, so the remains of his food was going to have to become leftovers.

Raising his head as he placed his plate down beside him, Sora grinned optimistically towards the girl. He was feeling excited to be able to finally let her find out what he was keeping inside the basket, confident that her first sight of it would make her instantly forget to be unhappy for any longer. "Have you finished your meal, Kairi?"

Kairi instantly rose her head up in alert, stunned by the boy's question filled with cheer which, to her, had appeared to just be shot at her from nowhere. Turning her head slowly to face him, she took in Sora's expression, which surprised her as to how much happiness was clearing filled it up by each moment.

She shot him a small frown, not understanding at all why his mood was constantly changing, but nodded to confirm to him what he wanted to know. "Yeah."

"Brilliant!" Sora's grin widened as he turned his back to Kairi, his shining eyes locking onto the picnic basket sitting behind him. He threw open the lid, then peered down into the inside of the container, managing to spot what he was looking for sitting in one of the corners. "Then you can finally get to enjoy this last part of your surprise."

Her mouth falling open again (except much further than before) upon having her mind filled again with how Sora was continuing to surprise her that day, Kairi's eyes filled up with wonder. She looked down towards Sora's plate, noticing it still had bits of food sitting upon it, and raised a hand to point towards it while quickly shaking her head. "Oh, don't do that yet, Sora," she exclaimed. "You haven't finished your own food. I'll wait until you've eaten it all, then we can both-"

"I'm not gonna finish my meal, Kairi," Sora interrupted, shifting around until he was facing Kairi with his large grin again. Both of his hands were raised up. In each of them, he was gently holding a cuboid shape. The two of them were very small, wrapped up individually in a red napkin. He held one out towards Kairi, his hand trembling with joyfulness. "Because I'm gonna enjoy eating this really lovely treat at the same time as you are."

Kairi stared at the napkin-covered shape Sora was offering to her, which had caught her interest the second she had seen it being taken out of the basket by the boy. It was now causing her to wonder even more of what it could be.

Raising her right hand, she took it carefully from him. She silently examined its possible shape, which appeared to be about the same as a handheld calculator, except it was twice as thick. Lightly, she pressed against whatever was hidden underneath the red paper. The part of their picnic Sora wanted her to eat lastly seemed to feel very soft. She quickly decided not to squeeze in her hand for any longer, since she was sure he would not want her to break it into pieces before eating it.

Keeping her hand which was holding her hidden dessert at the same level as her head, Kairi looked up at Sora in consideration. He was still grinning widely at her with the other wrapped-up shape in his hand, while his plate remained at his side, the bits of his picnic he had not eaten left ignored. The sight if them just sitting there to go to waste did not take long to make Kairi feel bad.

"Sora, are you sure you wanna give me this now?" she asked guiltily. "'Cause I don't waiting until you've finished your food. We'll be able to enjoy it at the same time then-"

"I'm not gonna eat any more of that food, Kairi," Sora chuckled, shaking his head before giving a small nod to the girl. "This is the most absolute best part of our picnic. It tastes far nicer than all the other food I packed today, and since you've eaten all of your meal now, you get to finally enjoy it. I wanna eat mine the same time as you, but before I do that, I want you to find out for yourself what this special part of your surprise is."

The girl gazed up at Sora in amazement at how he had described what was in her hand, having not before been informed of these facts that she was sure were true. They made her feel as excited as she had been when the rest of Sora's plans for that day had been kept a secret from her, so she quickly turned to the piece of food hidden within the napkin she was holding to find out what it was. Lowering her hand down, she released her fingers from the shape, letting it fall to land softly onto its side into her palm. One end of the napkin was on the side facing upwards towards the sky, so she took hold of it and pulled it back eagerly - to find that the piece of food was still covered by more of the napkin. It now appeared to shrink thinner in width towards one end, which was where the other edge of the paper was. Kairi quickly threw back the remaining covering with her finger and thumb - before letting off a loud, amazed gasp upon her first sight of what the secret dessert which she was finally being allowed to see and eat was.

It was a piece of the chocolate cake she had baked for Sora's birthday.

As Kairi's eyes took in the treat she had not known about until now, they brightened up along with the rest of her entire face. She had not given a thought to the cake since the night she had returned home from the birthday party she had baked it for, taking a piece of it with her. Finding out that Sora had decided to bring another slice for her to enjoy not only succeeded in vastly cheering her up; it also made her moved to know that he had obviously been giving thoughts to what she had baked for him. Imagining how Sora had decided to put inside the basket some of the cake she had very worked hard on baking caused Kairi's cheeks to turn bright pink.

A small smile on her face, the fifteen-year old looked up from her dessert to face Sora. She realised he was gazing at her with a wide grin, which told her he must have been watching how she had reacted to the sight of her piece of cake. "This is what you wanted to surprise me with now?" she asked, her voice full of delight.

Sora nodded proudly, already glad he had decided to bring along the pieces of cake. The idea which had come to him without any explanation had helped him to save Kairi from the sadness she had just been going through, and also allowed him to see the wonderful reaction she was giving. "I only thought of it just before Mom and I were about to leave the house to pick you up," he admitted. "I made her annoyed, because I'd already spent so long in the kitchen, putting everything else together, but I couldn't just leave it out. We still had a bit of your cake left, Kairi, which is the best cake I've ever had. It makes a brilliant, delicious dessert to this picnic. But I decided to keep it from you until we were ready to eat it, as I thought it would really surprise you."

"You managed to do that alright, Sora!" Kairi's blush had deepened while her smile was changing to a grin. The way Sora had just described what she baked for his special day was leading her to feel even more moved. "I'm really happy to hear you like your cake, as none of us got to eat some while we were at the party. I didn't really give my own baking skills any thought after that day, which is why I never asked you if you liked it."

"I absolutely loved it, Kairi! I realised that from the first bite I had of my first piece after the party you put together for me ended." Sora held the wrapped-up shape in his hands higher, using his left one to pull back the ends of the napkin. He looked down at his own slice of cake which had just come into view, sending his wide grin down towards it. "I also knew it was the best cake I've ever had."

Hearing the boy repeat his opinion of the cake brought Kairi's happiness up even more, as she was amazed to hear he thought such a thing about a treat she had baked for him. "You really think that?" she smiled. "Even better than Riku's?"

Sora took a bite out of the pointed end of his cake slice, holding it within the napkin he had covered it with before putting it inside the basket that morning. He closed his smiling mouth before making a brief mumble, starting to slowly chew. The tiny sound he had made told Kairi that he was clearly enjoying the taste of what she had made and he had bought along. Watching how he was obviously relishing the taste made her feel very pleased, wondering if the slice for him was not just the second one he was eating.

Swallowing what was in his mouth, Sora lifted his head up from the bitemark he had left in his piece of cake. He smiled supportively at Kairi. "This is far better than the small cupcakes Riku makes. It's much bigger, so it's far more chocolaty and makes me want to bite straight back into it. I just wished I had been able to bring some of Riku's cakes as well, because I thought that you really would have liked some."

Kairi held her grin as she watched Sora take a second bite of his slice, almost forgetting that she had her own one in her hands to eat. "It's alright, Sora," she assured him gratefully. "I said you didn't need to bring any of Riku's cakes, since this picnic has been fantastic. It's really wonderful for me now to be able to see you eat a piece of your birthday cake, and know at the same time what you think of it."

Sora had gulped down the second amount he had bitten from his half-eaten slice. He was just raising up it up to his mouth to take a third one - when he shot his eyes towards Kairi's piece in her hands. He noticed it was still in the condition it had been when he had wrapped it in the napkin.

Lowering his piece down, his narrowed his open mouth, giving the girl's treat a puzzled look which he did not take long to send to her. "Aren't you gonna eat your's then, Kairi?"

Glancing down quickly at her piece with a small amount of surprise, Kairi gave a small nod towards Sora before holding her treat closer to her mouth. She noticed that across its flat, chocolate-coated top was a thick line of white icing, which she had come from the birthday message she had written across the whole face of the cake. She could remember sitting down on her couch after returning home from Sora's party, eating the slice she had taken back with her. Preparing to experience the same taste of her own baking skills again, she slowly took hold of the piece in her right hand (using her left one to hang onto her napkin and use it to stop any crumbs from falling to the ground).

Holding it up so that its pointed end was facing her lips, Kairi silently stared at it for a few seconds, then finally took a small bite out of it.

Her mouth was filled up with the wonderful taste of melting chocolate, which was enough within her first bite to remind her how she loved the cake she had made (a decision she had made on the night she had eaten her first piece). The solid, outer-coating and soft sponge was lovely, nothing at all like any other cake she had ever tasted before in her life. It was able to bring a wide smile to Kairi's face as she thoroughly cherished her moment of eating it. She was feeling very grateful that Sora had brought the piece along to the picnic, as he had allowed her to enjoy its sweetness again.

Kairi swallowed the portion of cake she had bitten to start enjoying her piece, gazing at the large amount left in her hand that she knew she was going to love just as much. She was shooting a large grin which had come from the taste she had managed to create by herself - but it disappeared as she looked up in urgency, having realised that Sora was still looking towards her.

"What do you think of your own baking then, Kairi?" the boy asked curiously, sending her a grin himself since the one she had just been giving of made him believe he knew what her opinion was. "I didn't get to ask you either what you thought of the cake when you took your piece home. So did you enjoy getting to eat another one?"

Kairi looked down worriedly at her slice, realising that she had been grinning widely over its taste while Sora had been watching. She was a little afraid to tell him she loved the taste of what she had made, since she did not want to sound like she was bragging to him. "Um... I think it tastes pretty nice."

Taken by surprise from the simple comment Kairi had made about the cake she had managed to make taste so beautifully, Sora let his grin vanish from his face. He was stunned she had just used two words to describe what she thought of the treat after going through all of the effort to bake it by the time he returned from the hospital. He was sure the rest of his friends who had attended his surprise party - and had all managed to take a piece of cake home with them when it had ended - would not disagree that it tasted no different to any of the chocolate celebration cakes that could be bought from bakery stores and supermarkets. There was a small feeling in his mind, however, that he knew why Kairi was not giving a much bigger answer. His tiny suspicion was able to make him bring back a smile, which he sent towards the girl. He hoped it was able to show her he was trying to make her feel positive about what he believed she truly had to say.

"Pretty nice?" he wonderingly repeated the pair of non-descriptive words she had muttered to him. "Don't you think the cake you made actually tastes amazing, Kairi? Isn't it completely different to any other cake you've had in your life?"

Kairi stared nervously at Sora, understanding why he wanted her to expand on her opinion of the cake, as he had informed her that he loved it more than any other. She was still feeling reluctant to explain further what she thought of it and make herself sound self-centred in the process, but she knew the boy would just want her to agree about the uniqueness of what she had made. Hoping he was not going to go any further with his own statements that he would want her to go with also, she nodded her head towards him.

"It's something you made yourself, Kairi. You put it together with your own pair of hands, which made it a wonderful birthday cake that I loved the sight of, and also loved eating a piece of." Sora was now grinning at the girl again, wanting her to be aware that her skills in baking cakes were something she should have known about and made use of long before. "You must have enjoyed your piece when you arrived home. I made sure to save some of the cake when I had cut my first piece so that we could both enjoy more of it at the same time - which we are doing together right now."

Kairi shot Sora a startled expression as soon as he had finished making clear he was aware the two of them were both enjoying the taste of their slices of cake. Feeling as though she had just been caught out, she quickly looked worriedly away from him and down at the piece in her hand, which she placed carefully onto the napkin lying flat in her hand. While she was not feeling completely full of fear, as she had been when Sora had asked her the two nerve-wreaking questions before, she was beginning to fret again, this time over what the boy thought of her and her opinions. He seemed able to tell that she loved getting to eat some of the cake again as much as he had, which cause her to panic in case he know believed she was a person who favoured the outcomes of her abilities.

"Kairi?"

Sora sounded concerned for her again as he had said her name. Knowing she had to give him an examination, Kairi lifted her head up to face him again, taking a few seconds of staring at his face to realise it contained two emotions. His grin had shortened back into a smile, which he was keeping directed straight at her, but his eyes appeared to be filled with worry. The girl could tell that he was still aware all they were discussing was a cake, though she also knew that the way she had just panicked had led him to be afraid that her mood was sinking again.

"I... I actually do love it, Sora," she breathed out softly in defeat. "I find the chocolate coating and sponge makes it a scrumptious dessert. I really was surprised when I first tried the taste of it after your party, because I couldn't believe that something which tasted so amazing could be baked by me. But I was a bit afraid to tell you what I really thought of it, in case I sounded vain about my own baking skills."

"It's okay, Kairi; you're not being vain at all," Sora grinned, relieved that Kairi was finally giving him a true opinion, which happened to be a fact for him. "I wasn't at all that surprised by the taste when I ate my first piece of it. When you first showed me the cake with the candles lit on it, I could tell it was gonna taste much better than any other birthday cake I've ever had, because it had been made by you." He placed the small remains of his slice with the napkin still underneath it down beside him onto the cloth before shifting on his knees towards the girl to pull her into a hug. "If I had been there with you, I'd have known we'd both love it while I'd be helping you bake it."

Kairi blushed hard from the unexpected hug and touching words Sora had spoken to her, smiling widely as she placed her own slice down beside herself. As she gratefully returned the embrace the boy was giving her, she giggled softly from the last few words he had explained to her. "I wouldn't let you anywhere near helping me bake your cake, Sora, because it was part of _my _surprise for _you_! If you had been in the house while me and everyone else were preparing it all, I'd have locked you in your bedroom and made sure you couldn't come out before it was ready!"

Sora could tell Kairi really meant the threat she had just told him she actually would have done, which made the loudness of the amused laughs he was letting off double. Breaking the hug from her, he shuffled backwards to where he had been sitting on the cloth, gently taking hold of what was left of his slice. He lifted it up in his hands, allowing her to see it. "I was truly delighted to see you show me this wonderful part of my surprise, Kairi. Knowing you had made it made my birthday even better. I'm really glad I've been able to surprise you back with it today, and I sure hope it made a positive difference to the picnic."

Kairi nodded slowly as she watched with the smile and blush remaining on her face while the boy began to finish off his bit of cake. She swept her own slice with the napkin into her hand, lifting it up and sending her small, soft gaze onto it. As she took the piece in her free hand and took a second, much larger bite into it, happy thoughts of the day she had baked the cake filled her mind as quickly as her mouth filled with the taste of chocolate sponge. She remembered Sora's reaction when she had carried the cake from the kitchen in his house to the lounge, where the boy had been able to see it in his amazement for the first time. He had given the very reaction she had been hoping to see while she had been doing the baking process, while had helped her to make sure the cake would look beautiful by the time she had finished it. Kairi was very pleased to have been able to give Sora a surprise on his birthday to make it a happy one - and today, he had surprised her with his own wonderful ways yet again, going even further by bringing along a piece of what she had made herself for his special day.

All that was left of her second piece of the boy's birthday cake was a tiny block of it. Swallowing the large amount that she had spent just over two-thirds of a minute on chewing, Kairi put the last piece in her mouth. As she began to finish off the last bit of her dessert, she stared at the paper napkin in her hand, noticing a few tiny crumbs that were hard to see lying on top of it. She realized now that her picnic was over - but she had really loved it from the moment it had begun. The excitement she had felt on her way to the field was returning to her, for she knew their day was not over. Sora had offered to take her somewhere she really wanted to visit, and they would soon be making their way together to the amazing place she had thought of.

Realizing first that she had to get rid of the napkin in her hand, Kairi quickly looked up towards the sixteen-year old. She giggled upon seeing that he was licking the tips of his fingers, which chocolate coating and sponge from his bit of cake had been smudged upon. She held the napkin out towards him. "Where shall I put this, Sora?"

His attention attracted by Kairi's questioning voice, Sora pulled his hand away from his mouth (which his thumb zipped out of, now clean). He looked towards her hand to see the napkin lying in it, then reached out to swipe it swiftly from her. "I'll get rid of that, Kairi," he said, throwing it with his own napkin into the open basket behind him. "I'd better start tidying up. Once I've put everything away, we'll be able to make our way to wherever you wanna go."

He used one hand to pick up the plastic bottle of orange juice from where it stood on the cloth, using the other one to tighten up the tiny lid on the nozzle. He wanted to be sure the basket would not be full of juice and soggy paper plates when he would next look inside it. Rotating a little to the left while remaining on his knees, he carefully lay the bottle down onto its side and on the wicker base of the basket. The next piece of the picnic he took hold of was the paper plate that contained the uneaten sandwiches. He held it up in front of him, using the sheet of aluminium foil they had been sitting on to wrap them up inside again.

"Shall I give you a hand, Sora?" Kairi offered, picking up the empty plate that had held the portions of her main meal and shifting on her knees to be closer to the boy. She grinned softly as she watched him put away the plate that had gone back to being covered completely in foil, holding the one in her hands towards him to show she wanted to help. "I don't mind doing this tidying up with you."

"It's alright, Kairi," Sora answered, turned away from the basket with free hands and a grin that had formed on his face as soon as he had heard Kairi make her kind offering. He pulled the plate she was holding out of her hands and held it above the open basket, which he quickly dropped it into. Without looking away from the girl, he tilted his head sideways towards his left, then did the same towards his right. "Why don't you have another quick look around at the views from here? I'm not gonna take long, and I don't want to have to make you work. So have a few minutes of peace while I'm doing this."

Blushing, Kairi smiled at the boy as she lifted her legs up to get to her feet - which she found was a little challenging, due to the long amount of time she had spent down on her knees. They ached slightly as she slowly stood up straight on the cloth, but as she took a few steps backwards to be standing on the grass, the soreness was able to leave her. She sent the grin on her face down towards where Sora was kneeling as he continued to neatly pack away the picnic items, then she turned to her right to gaze down towards the sea below her. Once again, the wild water that made the enormous waves was being forced into the air, having just struck the hundreds the rocks that they always failed to shove out of where they sat on the seabed. Feeling amazed by her final sight of the fantastic, watery monster below her, Kairi looked up to see where the ocean stretched to be far away from the islands and towards the horizon. Just as it had been when she had first looked out towards it from the clifftop, it was still a calm, peaceful and beautiful sight, appearing very much like what she was able to see whenever she would look out at the horizon from the smaller island with Sora.

Turning around to be facing towards the miles of countryside fields and landscapes that could be seen from where she was standing, Kairi took a few steps forward so as to be standing on the slope of the hill. Her blue eyes were taking in as much of the green scenery that could be seen miles ahead of her, but her thoughts were not on how beautiful they all were; they were all about how much she had enjoyed the picnic. Not only had she been given plenty of nice food for her to choose from, but she had also been able to enjoy it in a breath-taking part of the main island she had never known about until the day before. While being able to eat at the lovely location she had not yet left, she had been informed of how much she was appreciated by the boy who had arranged it all just to surprise her. The meal they had not just been filled with platefuls of delicious food. It had also allowed her to listen to such touching words from the person who had made so much effort on his own never-ending will to make her happy.

Kairi glanced over her shoulder to smile towards Sora, who had nearly finished putting all the parts to the picnic away, leaving the cloth with much more space. He had just finished wrapping up his plate full of leftovers inside a spare sheet of aluminium foil he had brought along, and he was gulping down the remains of orange juice in his plastic cup - which he had not touched since before he had seen Kairi going into her panicking state – until he was able to put them both inside the basket. There were only a few more plates left sitting on the cloth, although the foil they were now covered in made them appear to be just like the sparkling, silver shapes they had been when they had left the basket earlier.

The girl looked back out at the stretches of green land and sightings that she knew she would soon be walking through, her teeth sparkling as she grinned towards them. Her heart was beating fast as everything Sora just had done for her had proven to be one of the countless reasons why she loved him so much. She was still just as sure as she always had been over her beliefs that he had no love for her, and that he would never see her as anything more than his best friend. She was so happy to _be_ his best friend, however, for her life would have never been nearly as happy if she had never met him.

A sudden nearby thud broke through Kairi's thoughts, which she instantly realized sounded as though it was coming from right below her. She looked down at the sloping ground she was standing on to see that sitting just beside her feet was the picnic basket that had been used to carry everything to create her special surprise. Noticing that also beside her lilac shoes were a pair of larger, black and yellow ones, she held her grin as she looked up at the face of the boy they belonged to. "Have you got everything in the basket?"

"Yeah, everything's been packed away," Sora confirmed, nodding his head with a smile before tilting it back to the empty space of grass which was at the very top of the hill, where they had spent most of their time together in the field. "So we can now make our way to the place you would like to visit. What is it, Kairi?"

Kairi's happiness was joined by excitement as she pictured in her head the location which she really wanted to go to see, thankful that Sora was prepare to take her along the countryside roads to reach it. "Do remember when we were in the hot air balloon yesterday, we saw a fenced off area that was full of horses?"

"Oh yeah!" Sora needed no time to remind himself of the pen that kept the animals Kairi had mentioned within. He was already happily thinking back to how Kairi had taken them in from the basket in the air, her expression being one that was amazing for him to see for himself. "I can remember that! Is that where-"

"I wanna go!" Kairi interrupted in her eagerness as she nodded her head rapidly at Sora. She turned away from him quickly to look around excitedly towards the scenery below her which the horse pen was hidden within - only for her face to fqll slightly when she noticed the road alongside the field. She was aware that following it would be the best way for them to reach the horse pen, but it was quite a lengthy distance away from the fields they were at.

Turning to face Sora again, she showed him her worrying look, afraid she was asking too much of him. "But if that's too far away for us to walk, then you don't have to-"

"It's not too far away," Sora cut her off as he placed his hands gently on her shoulders. The smile he was giving her was full of assurance, which he wanted to use to let her know that they were going to be arriving at the pen and seeing the horses. "We just need to follow these roads. We'll go along this one until we're by the field which we landed in yesterday, then we'll go in the opposite of the direction to the one that the balloon carried us in for the last stretches of the flight. That will lead us straight to the horse pen, and that's where I'm gonna be taking you now."

A grin slowly returned to Kairi's face, full of gratitude, as she stretched out her arms to hug the boy tight. She was feeling so happy again to know that she was definitely going to visit the wonderful sight she had seen the previous day - which was nowhere near as wonderful as the boy who was taking her there was. "Thank you, Sora."

Sora hugged the girl back, a small amount of redness that matched the shade of her hair fading into his cheeks. He was still smiling softly, as he was thrilled to be able to take the girl to a place that he knew she would love. Getting the chance to see how she would respond to the sight of the horses up close was highly likely to be more wonderful than when she looked down at them from the basket of a hot air balloon in flight. It made him excited over going to visit the pen as well, as he could tell arriving there would give him another chance to see Kairi looking highly amazed.

As she held the boy tighter in her arms, Kairi gazed down, noticing the picnic basket that was still sitting beside their feet. She gave it a small forwn, remembering how much had been carried inside to the field and doubting that Sora would be able to cope carrying it along the stretching roads that would feel like they would never end. "Are you gonna be able to carry that there," she asked in concern, pulling back only slightly while keeping her arms around him. "It might be too heavy for you

Sending his sight down onto the basket, Sora gently broke the hug from the girl before lowering his arms down to place his hands firmly onto each side of the basket. He lifted it up from the ground, showing Kairi that he had no problems carrying it, for he was not struggling like he had been that morning. "There's a lot less food in there now, Kairi," he explained. "It doesn't feel that heavy now. I'm gonna be able to carry this to the pen, and when we get there, I'll see if I can find somewhere to put it."

Kairi had seen how easily Sora had succeeding in lifting the basket off the ground, and it was remaining in his hands without slipping downwards, making clear it really was easy for him to carry. She grinned up at him, glad that she was not going to cause any injury to his hands or back on the way along the roads. She would have still made sure the basket would not have done that to him if it had turned out been too heavy, for she would have insisted on carrying it with him every mile they had to walk.

"Let's get going, Kairi," Sora suggested cheerfully, making his was down the sloping hill towards the fence at the bottom. He kept his eyes on Kairi as he turned his head over his shoulder to continue sending her his grin. "Time for us to go and see those horses!"

The grin which was on the girl's face widened much further as she rushed quickly forward down the slope, making her way alongside Sora. She could tell that their time together going to see the amazing animals would be as brilliant and fun-filled as the time they had spend together in the field they were now about to leave. They would have to climb over the fence at the bottom which kept the grass separate from the tarmac, which they were going to have to follow a lot of to be led together to the horses.

From behind and far below the two teenagers, the waves at the bottom of the cliff could be heard crashing hard against the rocks again. The noise was able to reach them as they made their way further down the hill, becoming closer with each step to reaching flat, level ground. Kairi sighed softly, still amazed by the sound she had been hearing a lot of during their time together on the hilltop. She was sure it would follow her for a good length of their journey away from the fields - but it would be eventually be replaced by the sounds of neighing.

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**I'm gonna have to make sure the next chapter's a good one. For one thing, it's the fiftieth! :D And also, it's an idea which I think could make really cute, so I'll have to work hard to make sure you'll like it.**

**Sorry again for the long wait and the long length of this chapter. I appreciate you taking the time to read it all entirely. But still, methinks I really do need to work on toning them down without missing out any important parts.**


	50. Friends on Four Legs

**Whoo! Fiftieth chapter! I never thought during the days of planning this story I'd get up to this number! What's more, the story becomes two-years old next month. And yet – I'm still not finished. :P I wanna try and get it completed this year, especially since the end is in fact drawing closer – but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the big fifty right now. XD**

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The road stretched far out into the long distance ahead. All it seemed to do for the past half-hour was lead in one direction never-endingly. It did not seem to be the correct way to go to find the pen filled with horses, for not a trace of it could be seen coming into view, nor could even the slightest sound of the animals it held be heard at all.

Sora and Kairi were walking slowly together alongside it, having not needed to change their direction after they had begun to follow the road upon reaching it at the T junction beside the field where the balloon had landed the day before. They had been chatting together for most of their journey on foot about the green scenery they were in the middle of, as well as the amazing day trips and activities the two of them had been enjoying for the past several days. Each time either one of them brought up something which Sora had planned and arranged just for Kairi, she had not once gone through a conversation about his kindness towards her without telling him how grateful she was. Her sincere appreciation was not only able to keep Sora's heart beating extremely fast, but it was also able to keep his mood up. He could not help feeling just a little bit frustrated at the lengthy distance they were having to walk alongside the road. He was still carrying the picnic basket in both of his hands, and while it was not becoming too heavy for him to keep hold of, he was wondering how much longer he was going to need to carry it.

Kairi had now been a bit quiet for just over the last five minutes of walking. Sora had become silent to keep an eye out for the horse pen ahead, but at this point, he was beginning to grow a little concerned in case something was wrong with her. After listening to how happy he had managed to make her through everything he had done for her, he had gathered the feeling from how wordless she was that things were not what they should be - which was more than just the fact the road they had been following was now about three times as long without a car for them to travel in.

Without stopping, Sora turned to face Kairi with a worried expression, noticing in surprise that she was gazing up at the sky whilst walking alongside him. "Are you feeling okay, Kairi?"

The girl's head jerked downwards as soon as she head Sora speak to her, a blank look on her face as she snapped out of her thoughts. She turned to face him whilst bringing a soft grin to her face, moved by the small question which showed how he always cared about her. "I'm fine, Sora," she answered him truthfully. "Why did you think anything was wrong?"

"Because you hadn't said a word since we talked about our visit to Twilight Town," Sora replied, still giving the girl the same look on his face in case she would now tell him something completely different to how she felt. "Why were you so quiet? And how come you were just staring up at the sky?"

"Oh, sorry about that." Kairi let off a slightly embarrassed chuckle, thinking she must have looked silly walking alongside the boy with her face directed towards the clouds. "I was just thinking about when we were up in the hot air balloon yesterday. We were floating above this very road, weren't we?"

Able to tell she was being honest with him and now realizing there was not anything upsetting or annoying her, Sora shot her a large grin. "Yeah, we were. It took us quicker to actually get somewhere than right now, didn't it?"

"We _will_ eventually get to the horse field," Kairi assured him, able to tell the boy was getting fed up of all the walking they were being forced to do and wanting to arrive at where she had asked to be taken to. "We saw it beside this road when we were in the hot air balloon. You were the one who pointed it out, and we've been following the right directions. So although it's gonna us longer to get there than if we were in the balloon, we are definitely gonna reach it. Then we'll be able to see those wonderful animals up close, just from the other side of a fence."

Kairi turned away from Sora to look towards the fields on the opposite side of the road, only just missing the alarmed expression that was beginning to make its way onto her best friend's face. Being reminded of how he had pointed out the horse field from the basket of the hot air balloon reminded him of another place that could be found along the same road, which would about half a mile away from their destination. He had given it a brief thought that morning, and had been hoping they would not need to see it ever again. Sora knew if it could be seen from where the horse pen was alongside the road, then Kairi would not be happily admiring horses that she was now looking forward to seeing; she would instead be breaking down in tears of her fear of losing Sora for good, as she had almost done the day before, which was when they had first seen the crumbling, broken down church with the graveyard.

Sora quickly looked to his left so that Kairi would not see his panicked expression if she were to turn to face him again. His heart was beating at a rapid speed again, but there was no longer an ounce of happiness within it. He was feeling deeply frightened and devastated. The day - just like all of the others he had arranged for the love of his life - had been supposed to be happy, and although he had not given a thought to the horse pen since landing in the field where the hot air balloon had taken him and Kairi, he had agreed to take her there, because he had felt certain it would make the day even brighter than it was already. He was afraid that having to see the church would ruin everything by breaking Kairi's heart and make her cry over the thought of him dying - which the two of them knew had a chance of happening in a few days. Sora was tensing up in his misery, as he knew that although he had been trying to make what would perhaps be his final days with the one he loved happy for her, no amount of joy he could bring to her would be able to take away the likelihood of him losing his life and make it leave the two of them alone with nothing they needed to worry about.

Clenching his fist with the power of all his fear, Sora gave a few faint, but audible troubled pants (forgetting to keep them quiet so that Kairi wouldn't hear). The day where he would find out the results of his surgery and whether or not his cancer had spread was drawing closer - but what made it even more frightening for him was that he had been told by Doctor Mizu that it was the same day when he was likely to die. He was terrified of what was going to happen on that day. Perhaps he would not even live long enough to make it to the hospital. His life would maybe be taken from him before he would get to hear there was nothing the doctors could do to save his life. Whether he would get to find that out or not, both ways would mean he would be putting Kairi through the most amount of pain he could ever bring to her, despite the fact he would _never_ want to cause her any small bit of it. He would be leaving her behind, never again to be able to or hug her or comfort her, which would be two of the hundreds of things she would need if she found out she had lost him forever. Sora tensed his up shoulders and his upper arms against his sides, squeezing his eyes filled with devastation shut tightly. He felt as if his head was going to explode from all of the stress which, over a week ago, he had led himself to be put through.

"Sora, look! Up there!"

Kairi's shouting voice had an affect on him as his always did to her. Hearing it in surprise caused the pressure Sora had built up to disappear from him, his body now more relaxed. He turned quickly towards the girl with wide eyes, noticing she was pointing out ahead while waving her stretched arm up and down. Failing to notice the clear excitement that was visible in her expression, Sora spun his head full of the same amount of alarm ahead, expecting to see the horrible church - only for his expression to change in new surprise when he discovered what Kairi was actually pointing at.

"There's the horse pen! There it is, right there!" Kairi yelled loudly in all of her delight. She was still pointing eagerly to what could be seen about a kilometre and a half away, standing out on some of the grass on the left side of the road. "Let's go on up to it, quick!"

Kairi shot off happily at her highest speed alongside the road, leaving behind a stunned Sora to take in what she had been looking forward to seeing. She was not wrong. From where he was standing, Sora could tell they were just a short distance away from the horse pen. One of the four sides made of the white fencing was visible, and from behind it, he could see a few brown, tiny shapes that he knew would be enormous once he would be standing closer to where they were kept. Most of them were remaining completely still while a few were moving around in the limited free space they were granted. Despite being completely clueless to the fact they were known as American Saddlebreds, Sora could tell they were the very same herd of horses which he, Kairi and his mother had seen from the hot air balloon. He looked worriedly towards the right hand side of the road in the distance, trying to find out if the building he was afraid they would see would be in sight.

"_COME ON, SORA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_" Kairi could be heard shouting impatiently to him, her baffled expression not clear to him due to the distance apart they were standing from each other. She had sprinted up to be just a few metres away from the pen, but had stopped herself from running any further upon realizing that Sora was no longer by her side. She had spun around to see him standing in the spot where she had spotted the horses from, completely confused as to why he had not moved from there. _"WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING OVER THERE? I THOUGHT WE WERE BOTH GONNA SEE THE HORSES TOGETHER!"_

Taken by surprise again by Kairi's voice - despite how distant it had now become - Sora looked urgently towards where she had stopped for him. He realized that he had just let her run off ahead without him, and he was holding her back from getting a good look at the horses. Keeping his panic from affecting his running speed, he began to race alongside the road towards the spot on the grass where she was waiting for him. Carrying the basket in his arms made him unable to go as quick as he felt he needed to, but Kairi had becoming clearer in view in only a few seconds of running. As he sprinted along the grass, listening to the picnic items thudding around the inside of the basket, he stole a quick glance towards where he knew the church would be standing beside the road. He was unable to catch any sight of it, but he knew he was going to have take some more checks when they were at where the animals would be to make sure Kairi wouldn't be able to spot it.

Unable to detect the slightest bit of stress in Sora's expression as he charged up closer to where she was standing, Kairi waited with a wide smile for him to be level with her. As soon as he was alongside her, she quickly spun around and took off again within just one second. She could see, however, that they did not really need to run, as they were only a small distance away from the horse pen. All four of the straight sections of fencing were now in her eyeline, and the elegant animals they held were becoming more easier to see as she raced closer to them. Kairi was already able to admire how amazing each one of them looked before she was even standing right up close to the pen.

After sprinting a few more metres alongside the tarmac she had been following for almost an hour, Kairi quickly forced her feet to a stop as soon as she was right beside the fence. She bent her knees slightly, taking deep breaths as she attempted to recover from the strong weariness she had built up through the short run, before turning to face Sora with a wide grin and red cheeks. She slowly raised a heavy arm, gesturing out towards the fenced off area, addressing the animals they had arrived to see. "Here we are, Sora," she wheezed. "We're there."

Sora shot his head instantly from the distance right hand side of the road to shoot a startled gaze at Kairi. He had only stopped running because she had, but due to trying to see if the church was beginning to show up in sight, he hadn't realized they had reached the little section within the green landscape which the girl had asked if they could visit. Forgetting to notice how tired he had become from the racing he had just done with her, he looked up from her to stare beyond the fence - clear astonishment slowly beginning to make its way into his expression.

As he had been able to tell from the spot beside the road where he had began his run from, the horses were all together inside the pen - but to see them up so close from outside of it allowed Sora to notice how fantastic they all were. There were about thirteen or fourteen of them at the most, with three small ones racing around what space they had. One of them appeared to be chasing the other two, who were trying their best to keep ahead of it while making sure to avoid their bigger four-legged companions. The rest of the herd were all scattered out separately across the field, seeming to want their own space instead and choosing to not go near anyone else's. Most of them were lying comfortably on the ground with their legs bent, enjoying the sunshine, while a few of them were up on their feet with their heads lowered down to the grass they were eating. Two of the horses that were relaxing had noticed a pair of humans were watching them from outside their personal area, and were staring towards them silently with their black, tennis ball-sized eyes. None of the herd had gone into a state of alarm over the fact they were being watched by two small strangers, although it didn't seem that many of them had even realized they were there.

"Aww! Look at them, Sora!" Kairi cooed happily, pointing out to the smaller horses as they continued to play their chasing game together, galloping as fast as they could towards the fence on the left side of the pen. "They must be the youngest ones! Aren't they so adorable?"

Sora took a glance towards Kairi with a grin, feeling full of joy at how the horses had quickly managed to bring her mood up to one which always made him delighted to see. Placing the picnic basket down in front of him onto the grass, he turned to look towards the three young, hyperactive Saddlebreds, watching as the two which were being chased by the third began turning around to charge towards the opposite end of the pen. Sora was already enjoying himself. Horses were not something which he and Kairi would think of or chat about in the many happy years they had known each other, and the girl had never really given any clues to show anyone that she was interested in them. What was obvious, however, was being able to see the large herd they had looked down at from the hot air balloon was not failing to make her thrilled, especially now that they could watch them for a long time on ground level. The happiness he had seen within Kairi's blue eyes and the big smile which had been brought to her face led Sora to find excitement of his own at being able to watch the enormous animals from outside their free space.

The teenagers could see from were they stood together that the young horse that was hurriedly chasing after its two excitable companions was no longer running as fast as it had been when they had arrived. It was unable to keep close to the pair that were trying to keep away from it, and as soon as it darted to the left to avoid one its grazing, elder gardians, its finally slowed down in speed that was quickly decreasing, stopping completely where it was. It lowered its head down as its four legs wobbled from its exhaustion - then it suddenly raised it back up when it realized some human faces it had never seen before were watching it. Staring towards them silent, it stood where it was with its its hairy, dark brown tail swishing wildly, then turned around to trot towards where the two of them stood behind the fence.

"Look, Sora! He's coming to see us!" Kairi's excitement continued to grow as she pointed in disbelief and atonement towards the young animal that was approaching her and the boy, obviously wanting to greet them in its own way. Her day was becoming more and more fun-filled, and her gratefulness towards Sora for everything he had done to make it happen was still solidly in her heart. "Doesn't he look like a sweet little guy?"

Asking himself inside his head why he had never done anything to do with horses for Kairi before, Sora turned to grin down at her again. He spent a few seconds taking in the wide, enormous smile that on her face, then turned away from her to look towards the horse, which was now coming much closer to them. Knowing how kind and careful Kairi always was with animals she loved, such as dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, he was really looking forward to seeing how sweet she would be with an animal he had never seen her stand close to. "I bet he'll love coming to see _you_, Kairi," he whispered softly.

The young horse had finally reached the section of fencing which Sora and Kairi were standing behind. Stopping right before the planks of wood that kept it and its companions from leaving the space they all had to share, it gazed at the of pair strangers, who were gazing back at it. It was taking a firm but blank look at them, as if waiting for either of them to do something. Neither of them did anything expect give expressions it had never before seen humans show. When it realized they were not doing anything which it - along with the rest of herd - would have to beware of, the small Saddlebred stared only at the amazed Sora for a few seconds before turning its head to look at Kairi.

"Aww! Hello!" Kairi cried gleefully, her eyes widening at the sight of the fantastic animal she was now face to face with. She slowly raised a arm, being careful not to move suddenly and end up frightening the large creature, then placed an open hand lightly down onto its soft snout. "You're a pretty guy, aren't you?"

The horse jerked its head up slightly in surprise at the feeling of the girl's palm and fingers on its snout. It was beginning to panic to itself, thinking the two humans it had trotted over to see were planning to hurt it. It was about to give a small screech of alarm to its companions so that they would all be alert, when it felt Kairi begin to rub its long nose gently. Instantly, the cries it had been building up inside it's throat were frozen, beginning to slowly fade away from the realization it had that it was not going to be harmed by the human before it. Liking the gentle feeling of its nose being smoothed, the horse let off a small, calm sound, allowing Kairi to continue what she was doing.

"I think he likes that, Kairi," Sora remarked softly, grinning as he took in how sweet the girl was behaving with the animal. He could tell she was highly enjoying receiving attention from it just as much as it was beginning to enjoy the attention it was getting from her. His worries of spotting the church somewhere nearby had vanished from his mind, as their lengthy walk together had led him to see Kairi with something that had bought her true delight and happiness, rather what he had feared would direct her to let out never-ending tears or loud, painful sobs.

Keeping her hand on the horse's snout, Kairi glanced up at Sora to shoot him back a wide grin that was filled with her gratefulness. As she turned back to the animal, prepared to continue rubbing its nose, its large head turned away from her and into Sora's direction, the velvet-like feeling that she had under her fingers and palm slipping away. The girl didn't take a look to her right to see if it was now directly facing the boy who had brought her to see it, for she had now noticed in her amazement the thin, dark-brown mane that ran from the back of the horse's head to a few centimetres before the centre of its back.

Unable to help herself, Kairi reached up with a smile to place her fingertips on the section of the mane which was had grown upon the back of the horse's neck. As she began to scratch it carefully, she listened to the further tiny sounds that were coming from the horse, giving her the relieving thought she was not treating it in a way it didn't like. "Aww, look at you. You've got really lovely hair. Haven't you, little guy?"

Sora watched silently with folded arms and the same grin upon his face as he listened to Kairi proceeded to softly tell the horse what a fantastic animal she thought it was while it reacted to the scratching on its mane in a similar way a dog would to having its ears tended to the same way. It was truly wonderful for the boy to see how one animal was able to succeed in bringing so much joy for his best friend, but he was beginning to wonder if any of the other horses in the field were ever going to trot over towards where they were standing. If more of them would come to see Kairi, they would surely make her feel even happier than she was now with just one of them.

As he turned his head away from Kairi and the horse, Sora was just taking in the other four-legged creatures in the field to see if they had realized he and the girl were present – when the corner of his right eye caught onto something that made his face fall in terror. His head froze, filled with panic over turning any further to allow him to see what was visible further up the road. Due to how distant away it was from where he was standing, he guessed it was perhaps about a mile and a half away. It would be a little easy for him to see, however, since the road they had been following to find the pen led straight ahead to direct travellers to pass the miserable-looking sight, and there were no trees or buildings to hide it from view.

Sora could feel depression and fear building up quickly inside him, growing stronger by each passing second. Feeling a lump sticking painfully in his throat, he forced his head to jerk towards his right – managing to instantly spot up further up ahead on the right side of the road what he had been afraid to see and what he did not want Kairi to notice: the old church.

While the distance it was away from them made it not as clear or easy to see as it had been when they had spotted it while travelling inside the hot air balloon's basket, Sora knew there was no way he could be mistaking it for another sight in the countryside, since there was barely anything else here which stood out within the endless green. He was able to recognise it as his nervous eyes squinted in its direction, taking in the ugly, grey colour of the only visible side of the building. At the very end of it stood the clock tower, and being reminded of it led the frightful Sora to urgently pray inside his head that it was too distant away for them to hear the bell striking every quarter of an hour. The sound of mournful chimes would make Kairi realize the sight which had almost ruined the previous day could be seen nearby – if she didn't notice it sooner. The graveyard could not be seen, as it was on the opposite side of the one Sora was looking at, but the church itself would still remind Kairi that she would perhaps need to visit one in probably over a week's time. If it was indeed to happen, then he would be present there as well – but he wouldn't be making her happy this time, as he had been doing for so many days. He would never be able to make her happy again, for he would no longer be in her life, and he was aware that having to live without him would put Kairi into torturing pain and heartbreak that she wouldn't even attempt to recover from.

The boy was frozen on the spot in his panic with his eyes locked onto the building that seemed to him to deliberately be made of misery to pass onto him. The stress he was putting himself through over his fear of possibly dying in a few days made him want to cry to let it all out. His face had already scrunched up tightly and he was finding it impossible to keep hold of his emotions for much longer. He was ready to break down into tears and spend the length of time he needed to sob as loud as he could – when something reached his tears that immediately managed to surprise him, but also make him keep himself from breaking down. The sound was Kairi's gentle voice, which was still filled completely to the top with happiness as she continued to speak sweetly to the horse. The boy listened with his wide eyes no longer on the church, finding some of his stress was leaving him behind as it was driven away by the tone the girl was speaking in.

Sora squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds to make sure he had not built up any tears before opening them nervously again. Their day had only just avoided being ruined and becoming upsetting – but it wouldn't have been the church which would have caused that; it would have been himself. Crying in Kairi's presence while she was full of cheeriness would have lead her to becoming deeply heartbroken and most likely sobbing along with him. Sora knew she would have definitely acted instantly to comfort him kindly and dry away his tears while letting her own escape, but he didn't want her to do such a thing. Despite having a good reason to want to cry, he was determined to make the final possible days they were going to spend together happy. Every plan he had arranged for her so far had always managed to make her feel full of delight, so he had no intention of allowing this one to be ruined by his own emotions, which would lead Kairi to letting off a countless amount.

The lump in Sora's throat was decreasing in size, but the pain it was causing him was still there. He was doing his best to ignore it, but his fear of Kairi spotting the church nearby was still there. Knowing he was going to have to spend their entire time at the pen making sure that she wouldn't notice it, he turned his head away from the direction of the church to look ahead – jumping backwards in fright as he found himself face to face with a pair of horses that were both looking straight at him.

"Aww! Look, Sora! Some more have come to see us!" Kairi squealed excitedly, having just noticed the new visitors herself. Her hand was back on the snout of the first horse that had trotted over to see them, grinning widely at the other two and the boy they were staring at. "Give them a scratch behind their ears."

Sora glanced at Kairi with a jaw that was hanging open before turning back to the horses with the surprise they had given him at the same level. He hadn't realized that they had noticed him and the girl after they had realized their friend was no longer playing their chasing game with them. When they had seen it was in the presence of a few humans, they had both been on the alert at once, thinking they were all in danger of being harmed. A few trots over to the direction of the new faces, however, had told them their companion was not getting hurt, and as soon as they had noticed he was having his muzzle smoothed, they had walked over to where the two humans stood in the hopes they would have the same done to their own.

Kairi watched with slight amusement as Sora just stared at the horses in his fright, wondering if he was just feeling a little nervous of being face to face with them. Smiling sympathetically, she reached up with her free hand to scratch behind the ear of the new visitor that was closest to her, proceeding to continuing smoothing the muzzle of the one who had noticed them first. "That's all you need to do, Sora. They aren't gonna bite you."

Taking in with eyes that were still full of fright at how fearless Kairi was being, Sora closed his mouth tightly before looking back at the only horse of the three that was waiting for some attention. He had never before stood in front such an animal which, despite being young, was still much bigger than he was. Trying to scratch its ears would probably startle it and make it want to bite him or jump over the fence to kick him. He couldn't even assure himself he'd be okay by the fact the two horses which Kairi was dealing with weren't attempting to harm her, for any horse that would stare at him the way the one before him was that moment would make him feel nervous and afraid he was going to get hurt.

"Go on, Sora!" Kairi called to him in slight irritation, her sympathy now going towards the horse. "He just wants you to scratch his ears. He isn't gonna hurt you, I promise!"

Sora took a second quick glance towards Kairi, knowing that because she was ordering him to, he was going to _have _to do what she was telling him. He was still afraid that the horse was going to hurt him, but as he gazed back at the long, thin head which had not turned away from him, he flexed his fingers a few times to keep control of his hands and stop them from shaking. He was sure if the horse saw them quivering, it would not hesitate to bite him.

With as much determination as he had built up just to do what Kairi asked, Sora slowly raised his left hand hand. At first, the horse took no notice of it and continued to stare directly at him, but as he began to move it in the direction of the top of the animal's head, it suddenly looked upwards and locked its eyes onto it. Sora froze instantly, worried it was going to become alert and bite him. He spent a few seconds taking in worriedly how still it had become, then hesitantly began to move his hand towards the end of its mane - which was in between its ears – only to stop himself from moving it any further and becoming even more scared when he saw the horse was following it by raising its head even further.

"It's alright, Sora, don't worry," Kairi told him calmly. "He's just watching your hand, like cats and dogs do whenever you go to smooth them. They never hurt you-" She paused to let off a tiny giggle before speaking any further. "Well, apart from Selphie's cat, because he hated you for some reason. But this guy isn't gonna hurt you."

Sora kept his hand hovering above the horse's muzzle, not feeling calmed in the slightest by Kairi's words that were supposed to help him. The way the horse's head was following his hand made him feel sure that within any second, it would reach up to bite him. He knew it would be far more painful than all the bites and scratches he'd received over the years from a vicious, unreasonable cat which had once been Selphie's beloved pet, but he was trying to brace himself for it. Squeezing his eyes shut, prepared for a sharp feeling sink into his arm at any moment, he moved his hand forward a little more before bringing it down carefully onto the top of the horse's head. He could feel how long the thin hairs on its pain were compared to its short, brown coat.

"Well done, Sora," Kairi congratulated him, grinning gladly upon seeing he was finally making an effort to do what she was telling him. "Now all you need to do is scratch behind the fella's ears. He isn't gonna hurt you." She turned back to the other two horses who had trotted over to see her, smoothing the muzzle again of the first one that had arrived while scratching behind the ears of the second. "Because all of you are harmless, aren't you?"

Kairi's words led Sora to hesitantly open his eyes, which were filled with as much confusion as the rest of his expression. He shot a puzzled frown up at the horse before him, which was continuing to silently give him the same hard stare. It didn't seem the least bit bothered or startled by the boy's hand on its head, which made Sora feel a little less frightened by it. The animal was not making any attempt to bite his stretched arm, and he was wondering to himself if all it was doing was waiting for him to smooth or scratch its head.

Deciding to find out in his strengthened confidence, Sora moved his hand slightly sideways so he could reach the horse's right narrow, pointed ear, then he began to lightly scratch the section of brown hair behind it.

The horse gave a few tiny sounds as it closed its eyes, having no fear of the boy at all and not realizing it had just been scaring him itself.

"There! You see, Sora! He's nothing to be afraid of! All he wanted you to do was scratch behind his ears! He was never gonna hurt you at all!"

Kairi was looking towards Sora again and was still grinning widely in his direction, since the boy had found out for himself that the animal was not someone to become enemies with. She was continuing to tend to the pair of horses which were both in front of her, even while she was facing away from them. As she turned back towards them again, she shook her head slowly, softening her voice as she spoke to the two of them. "You guys aren't gonna hurt us! 'Cause you're so adorable!"

A relieved smile found its way quickly onto Sora's face as he turned towards Kairi in new happiness that he was only just building up. He watched as she carried on being her sweet self to the pair of animals that were both enjoying having some attention from her, then looked back at the one which he now realized was not planning to harm him. As he scratched behind its ear without the tension he had just been feeling, he listened to the tiny noise it was making. It told him that being scratched behind its ear was something it liked, and it made it seem as harmless and gentle as most house pets Sora had met (apart from Selphie's vicious lion – which was what he would call her cat). Grinning up towards the horse's right ear, he slid his hand carefully across its head, planning to scratch behind its left one.

"_OI! YOU TWO! GET AWAY FROM MY HORSES! NOW!"_

The two teenagers jumped backwards together in sudden fright at the alarming sound of a furious voice which had just exploded from somewhere nearby. Knowing in terror that whoever it belonged to was blaring it at them they quickly took their hands away from the horses in one blurred movement they each shared. Their faces full with panic – as they were sure they were just beginning to fall into trouble – Sora and Kairi urgently shot their widened, horror-filled eyes towards the opposite side of the pen, which was were they realized the voice had just hollered from. They didn't proceed to make any further movements, for the two of them could see the person who had just yelled at them angrily making his way around the wooden fence. He obviously wanted to shout whatever more he had in his mind directly to their faces, which had caused the pair of them to freeze in their growing fear.

As the man started to stomp alongside the second of fencing that was (to the two friends) on the right-hand side of the pen, Sora was able to notice more easily not only how the man looked – but also how filthy his clothes were. Not much taller than the boy, the stranger had wide, board shoulders and short, dark brown hair with a tuff pointing upwards above the centre of his forehead, as well as shaved, tiny black hairs growing where sideburns must have once been. He was wearing a thick, woollen sweater that matched the colour of his hair, and had strands of straw clinging untidily onto parts of it. His jeans had deep holes torn into them. The blue colour they were supposed to be was fading into white, with small patches of dirt stuck onto the fabric. Making his way to end of the fencing on the teenagers' right so he could march in fury towards them, the man shot Sora and Kairi a fierce glare with his clenched teeth, large eyebrows and grey eyes. Sora gaped in his growing panic towards the angry person as his made his way closer to them with each step – which caused squelching sounds to escape from the old, white trainers he was wearing, both of them coated in mud.

Stamping his feet all the way up to where the terrified Sora and Kairi were quivering together, the man stood furiously before them. He was glad to see he was succeeding in frightening the two of them, which meant he would most likely get rid of them quickly. "So you wanna hurt my horses, do you?" he bellowed, leaning forward so he could blast his exploding voice into their scared faces. "I can't believe people like you who come here! Why come here just to hurt harmless creatures! They never do _anything_ to you! Ever!"

Kairi took some rapid deep breathes and a few steps back, her fear of the man worsening by the level his voice aimed at her and Sora was at.

Sora was also still just as terrified of being yelled at loudly by a complete stranger – but exactly what the man had just roared at him and the girl caused him to give a confused frown. He straightened himself up (having just leaned back when the man's face had been right up to his and Kairi's), not feeling afraid to shoot his expression at the fiery one which was locked onto him. "Hurt your horses? Is that what you really think we'd want to do?"

"That's all _anybody_ who comes over here wants to do to my horses!" The man bellowed, bits of straw falling from his jersey as if forced off by his anger. "I see it all the time; Horrible little teenagers like yourselves stopping here to throw stones and food at my horses! They think it's funny to scare them! All they ever want to do when they see them is make their lives a misery!"

Sora could tell that this provoked person, despite being someone who obviously wanted the animals he owned to always be safe, was equally just as uncaring about how he was frightening Kairi. Placing a hand onto her shoulder - and feeling how fast she was trembling in her fear - he stared up at the challenger he was faced with, feeling a lot more calmer and able to explain for the two of them. "We're not here to hur-"

"_I SAID TO GET AWAY FROM MY HORSES!_" The man interrupted him, his deafening voice now raised to an even higher level. In an effort to scare them even further, he showed them his grinding, flashing, white teeth – which were probably the only features of his appearance he chose to keep clean. "GO ON! GO AWAY! NOW!"

At this point, Kairi - now sorry she had asked Sora to take her where they clearly weren't allowed to visit - was too terrified to stay for much longer. She spun around quickly, feeling Sora's hand slip off her shoulder, and took a large, hurried step forward with her left leg to begin sprinting away from the deep trouble they were in. Her right foot had barely left the ground, when she felt – in her sudden surprise – her hand being grabbed gently but firmly by the one which had just been supporting her. Being kept from charging away, she turned quickly to shoot her expression of fear – which was also filling up with growing shock – towards Sora. She could sense by the way he was bravely facing the man that he was going to stand up to him – but this made her feel even more afraid instead of relaxed, since the short time they had known the stranger existed was enough to tell her how frightening he was when angered.

"We haven't hurt your horses," Sora explained simply to the man, "and we weren't planning to either. We'll go away from here if you want us to, but we didn't come here to hurt or scare your horses. Neither of us would ever want to do that."

"_What?_" The man's hard glare at Sora faded slightly to change into a baffled frown, as he was in a bit of disbelief over what he had just told him. He thought it sounded like the boy had said his horses had not been hurt, but he was unable to accept the words spoken by anyone who stood by his animal pen as honesty so quickly. "What did you just say about my horses?"

Sora just sighed and gave a relaxed smile up at the man, tilting his head towards the animals kept within the fenced area. He could feel Kairi's hand trembling in his, so he gave it a small squeeze, trying to inform her that she had no reason to be afraid as he was going to get them out of the trouble they were in. "Have a look at your horses and tell me if they look harmed."

The man's frown disappeared as his jaw dropped widely, for he could tell he was being challenged by the boy. He realized he had not actually checked on his horses since noticing that there were two teenagers standing right outside of their pen, despite believing his yelling had been keeping them all safe. Turning slowly away from Sora and Kairi, he gazed at the three younger horses, who were still standing before the same section of fencing. They were each shooting him a stare that contained no emotion in their long, thin faces, but what had just led them to feel startled and confused was the fact their owner had just been speaking in the language they would never understand at such an enormous, frightening tone to their new friends. They had heard him holler many times before to humans that would visit their pen to taunt them, but they had never been able to realize that he was only sounding so frightening to make sure they wouldn't become hurt.

Seeing in relief that the three nearest horses had clearly not come to any harm, the man quickly looked around the fenced area to see how every other one of his animals kept within it was feeling. As they had been when Sora and Kairi had arrived, they were all spaced out widely, some of them lying comfortably on the grass while the others had kept their heads low to graze. Not one of them looked like they were in pain, and the man could not find any apples, small rocks or anything else he would usually find lying on the grass inside the pen, having been hurled in by cruel, young people who wanted to hurt and frighten the magnificent creatures he owned.

Shamefully, the man turned back to Sora and a calmer Kairi with deep regret in his expression. "I'm really sorry for shouting at you both. I shouldn't have done, and I shouldn't have been tried to scare you. It's just every time I find teenagers coming over to where my horses are, they just want to throw things at them to hurt them. As I saw you two, I thought you were going to do the same."

Sora shot the man a friendly, assuring grin, understanding completely why he had been on an urgency of anger to see them with his animals. "It's alright," he replied, squeezing Kairi's hand gently again in the hope that she would agree with what he was saying. "I know you didn't want your horses to be hurt. You just thought you were doing what would keep them safe, which I'm glad you do for them."

Kairi was sending a shocked and disbelieving expression up at the man – although it was over what he had just explained to them, rather than the way he was now behaving. His voice explaining about how people liked to hurt his horses was repeating endlessly inside her head, making her feel absolutely horrified to learn it was truly happening to the beautiful animals she and Sora had come to see. Turning her head towards the pen, she gazed with her widened eyes towards the three young horses, her lips (which had parted the moment her mouth had fallen open) trembling slightly.

"Do people really do that?" Kairi cried softly to the man, raising her free hand to place carefully onto the muzzle of the horse that had been the first to trot over to see her. She began to smooth it lightly again, unable to believe that an animal which looked pretty to her had a history of being attacked by humans. "Do they really try to throw things at your horses?"

The man sighed gloomily. "I'm afraid to say they do. They don't care how much it frightens them when they throw their things at them, nor do they care about how bad the injuries they cause them can be. They just think its funny, so sometimes, the same people will come back to do it again, only with much bigger things to throw at them than before. I have to keep an eye out for them, and they're very afraid of me when I shout at them."

Kairi looked up in horror at the man while keeping her one hand on the horse's velvet-like nose (the shock she was in made her forget her other hand was still in Sora's). All was now forgiven towards the man's yelling at her for visiting his animals, frightening her in the process, as she knew she would automatically do the same if the horses were owned by her and if she spotted anyone throwing objects in their direction to harm them. "That's really horrible! I'm very upset to hear that! I can't believe anyone would want to hurt such beautiful animals that don't do any harm – _and _think it's funny as well! They should try being put in the pen for a day and see how much they enjoy getting things thrown at them!"

A smile was raised into the man's face, for he could tell how gentle Kairi was and did not feel he needed to stop her from smoothing his horse's muzzle. "It's okay. The horses aren't usually hurt for very long. It's been a while since one of them has had a serious injury, and the vet who comes up here to check on them was able to make it better in less than a week. By the way…" He cleared his throat. "…I'm Sugoshi."

"Hi, Sugoshi," Sora greeted him, still grinning widely as he was pleased the person who had marched over to him and Kairi now seemed like someone who they could get along with. "My name's Sora…" He tilted his head in the direction of the girl whose hand he was still holding. "…And this is Kairi."

Having heard Sora introduced her, Kairi turned to face Sugoshi with a soft, bright smile, but continued to smooth the muzzle of the horse without looking at it. "Your horses are really beautiful, Sugoshi. You're really lucky to own them all."

Sugoshi grinned down at Kairi, an idea building up quickly inside his head, and stretched an arm outwards to point to his right. "Since you like my horses so much, and you're not the sort of person who would try to harm them, I think you should come over to the stables with me."

The mention of going over to stables made Kairi stop smoothing the horse's muzzle in surprise, leading her to send Sugoshi an expression that contained as much excitement and eagerness as there was in Sora's. "To your stables? Sora and I can go there with you?" she asked, almost in disbelief.

Sugoshi nodded. "I'd really like you to. There's a little guy over there I want you to meet."

Kairi beamed joyfully as she turned quickly in hope to Sora, finding instantly that he was shooting his now even wider grin directly at her. It was enough to tell her that he loved the sound of going to visit the stables just as much as she did, which made her confident that they were both going to have a great time at them. What Sugoshi had said about wanting her to meet someone had her feel sure it was just another horse owned by him – but she was just as enthusiastic to see it as she had been on her way to see the herd in the pen. Since this one would be outside of the fenced area, there would not be anything keeping it from walking freely and she would be able to have a better look at it than the others. Kairi had strong belief in her heart that somehow, whatever would happen at the stables would make the day even more wonderful for herself and the one boy in the world who she loved.

"The stables are a little further away from here," Sugoshi explained, his arm still in the air and pointing out beyond the pen. He whirled it in a small circle, then let it drop to his side as he turned away from the teenagers to walk alongside the fence. "It's a bit far to walk to it from here, but I don't think you'll need to worry about walking back, Kairi."

The girl gaze a small, puzzled frown towards the back of the horse keeper, as she couldn't understand what he meant – but it didn't last for very long as she turned back to Sora, smiling again. The two of them had completely forgotten that their hands were in each other's, yet they both had the feeling to walk closely alongside each other. This lead to their hands remaining joined as they took their steps forward to follow Sugoshi, leaving behind the three young horses who had been opposite them.

Both turning away from each other to look in the direction the man had gone, the two teenagers saw that he was now walking alongside the edge of the pen which appeared to be on their right side of it. Striding slowly together to reach the end of the section that was facing the road, they looked down at the grass to notice – in their surprise – that a pair of tyres marks was running through, making a dirt road which Sugoshi happened to be following. It was already taking him past the side of the pen, and Sora and Kairi looked up to see that it would be leading them in a straight line through the wide, endless, green space.

As she stepped with Sora onto the dirt road and after Sugoshi, the small frown that had once been on Kairi's face returned, being sent down towards the brown tyre marks. "I didn't notice this road here."

"You can just about see the stables from here," Sugoshi explained. As they both looked up in response to his voice, Sora and Kairi could see that he was pointing again to the distance ahead – and they noticed another new sight in the area close to the pen which they hadn't spotted before; it was a building that appeared to be very short, but was very likely to show them just how long it really was when they would draw closer to it. It seemed to be a mile or two away from where they were, but due the lack of any trees or anything else that could often be found in any countryside, it stood out perfectly on the flat ground.

"Sorry it's so far," Sugoshi went on, not once turning to look over his shoulder at them as he walked forward, "but when it was being built, we decided not to have it so close to the road so the horses wouldn't be disturbed by the traffic in the nights."

"Thanks for taking us over there!" Kairi was grinning happily again, and was turning to Sora to show him through her expression how she was feeling. "I wonder how we didn't notice this road or the stables when we were flying over here in the balloon yesterday?"

Sora didn't say anything. The grin that had once been on his own face had just vanished. He was certain he knew the reason why – even from the hot air balloon's basket - they hadn't noticed the sights in the countryside they had only just learnt about, but he didn't have any intensions of reminding Kairi what it was that had stopped them.

"It was probably because we were too busy looking at the horses," Kairi said softly, then looked away from the silent boy – to notice that one of the young horses was trotting a small distance behind them on the other side of the fence. She giggled softly as she watched it follow them, noticing it was trying to keep up with them before the rear section of fencing would stop it from going any further. "Thanks for taking me over to see these lovely guys, Sora."

Sora's lips only twitched at the sound of Kairi's words instead of raising up into the smile they would usually become. He took a quick glance away from her to have another look in the direction of where the church stood. There it was, now seemingly becoming further away as they stepped together along the dirt road, but still very easy to make out and recognise. He imagined when they would get to the stables, it would finally disappear from view, but he would still have to make sure Kairi would not notice it when they would leave to make their long journey home. He was not sure how he was going to do that without any problems, but to make sure she wouldn't realize it was there now, he quickly turned his head to look straight, focusing his eyes onto the stables in the distance ahead. He did his best to keep all of the nervousness he was going through completely out of his expression.

The stress he was building up over Kairi having the possibility to notice the church, as well as his excitement over seeing how the horses had made her feel, had caused Sora to forget about the picnic basket. Instead of remembering to pick it up in his free hand before following Sugoshi, he had left it behind to sit all by itself in front of the pen that kept inside the girl's friends on four legs.

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**I hpe this chapter was okay. Sorry if there wasn't enough cuteness between Sora and Kairi. I'm hoping what I have planned for the next chapter will – and I promise I will attempt to make it much short than these recent ones have been. It's gonna be difficult, because the short length I want it to be might make it look rushed to me. I will try to keep it at least close to the length, while keeping in it something I want to make you go 'AWW!' XD**

**By the way, for those of you who know your Japanese words, see if you can get the little pun I included when Sugoshi introduces himself. No guarantee it's a good pun, mind you. ;P**


	51. Magical Journey

**This must be the longest chapter so far. Really sorry for the incredably long length, but I hope it doesn't put you off. If anything, I hope what happens in it encourages you to read on.**

* * *

"Well, this is where the little guys and the big fellas you saw in the pen sleep," Sugoshi announced proudly. "Where do you think?"

Both of them distracted from the conversation they had just been having, Sora and Kairi stopped walking along the dirt road, turning to face the man standing before them. His hand was gestured towards their right, which was the next direction they turned their heads. They discovered they had walked the entire distance between the horse pen and the stables - although Kairi was the first of them to notice how close they were now standing to the building. Her eyes instantly widened in interest at the sight of it.

The row of stables had been built with sandy-coloured wood. It appeared to be about four metres tall and somewhere near three hundred feet long from end to end. The lengthy side of the building which the teengaers were gazing at had had some of its wood cut out to make seven square windows, each of them a few metres apart. There had been no doors built into this side of the stables, however, which told them they were facing the back. It was enough to make Kairi feel even more excited, however, leading her to become eager to see how the front would look.

Sora lowered his head, letting his eyes fall away from the building, to smile softly down at the girl who he knew would be happy to see it. The first thing he noticed as he took in her expression was that a delighted grin was making her way onto her face. He was very glad to see one already, and he was waiting paitently for her to tell him in all her mood what she thought of the tables. Gently, he squeezed her hand, which had not left his since he had taken hold of it at the pen.

Kairi kept her amazed eyes fixed onto the stables for a few more seconds, then pulled them away as she turned her head to shoot her widening grin up at Sora. Although feeling highly joyful the two of them were together at this lonely section in the countyside, she didn't realize he was expecting her to say something. Unable to wait any longer to see the front of the stables, she raced forward, letting her hand slip briskfully out of Sora's (causing him to be stunned in the process as he watched her run away with a dropped jaw) and charged past Sugoshi - who jerked backwards in surprise at how fast she was running.

Once she had sprinted passed the end of the stable that was near to her and the others, Kairi skidded herself to a stop along the dirt road, which she had noticed was now rounding to lead to her right. She quickly turned her head excitedly in the direction of the wooden building - and her grin disappeared immediately as her mouth fell open in astonishment. "Whoa!"

There was far more for her to look at than just the stable Sugoshi had pointed out.

She found herself gazing into a large, wide horse yard, which actually had not one, but _two _stables on opposide ends of a concrete-covered section of ground. In her growing amazement, Kairi glanced quickly from one stable to the other. She could see they were completely identical to each other, both with six wooden doors built into their front sides. A barrel with its lid fixed down stood beside the door on the left end of the stable Kairi was standing closest to, while a wooden horse mounting block was sitting about half a metre in front of the same entrance. Near to the centre of the yard was a pile of hale bales, and although it appeared to be quite short, Kairi could tell as soon as she noticed it that it would be taller than her and Sora if they were to stand beside it. Feeling even more enthusiastic, just by the sight of items she would expect to find around a farm, she quickly looked down towards where an upturned metal trough was lying on the concrete, long enough for its two ends to each be in front of the second and third door of the nearest stable. As she lifted her head with a brightening expression, she could see that parked on the opposide end of the horse yard was a small, dark green, farming truck, with a brown wooden frame of planks used for its goods area and a white horse box standing directly behind it.

"What do you think, Kairi?" the girl heard Sugoshi repeat the question he had asked before. "I hope you like this place!"

Sora was still standing where Kairi had shot off from him on the dirt road, but had just managed to recover from the condition of surprise she had left him in. A smile was now back on his face, for he was watching how Kairi was silently observing what charging a few feet away from him had led her to see. He had already come to the conclusion that there was more than just the stable they were standing close to for them to see, and as he clumped his feet forward to join his best friend, he was able to see the identical wooden building that stood several metres opposite. He made his was past Sugoshi (who was grinning in Kairi's direction), turning his head to his right to realize in astonishment that they had been taken to a horse yard rather than just a lonely building. He interestedly took in all of the sights from stable to stable, knowing Kairi would be even more excited now to look around the area.

Making his way over to where Kairi was admiring everything within the yard, Sora stood next to her, stealing a look at her amazed expression before bringing a wide grin to his own one. "It's a massive place here. Ain't it, Kairi?"

"It's a _fantastic _massive place, Sora!" Kairi exclaimed. She shot her head in the direction of Sora, and just by a quick look into her shining blue eyes, he was instantly sure she was reflecting memories before she even spoke happily again. "It's reminds me of some stables I visited years and years ago!"

"_Other _stables?" Sora's grin disappeared as he blinked in surprise, which was clearly showing in his expression. What Kairi had blurted out in her joy was something completely new to him - and sounded like it would be an interesting story. "Years and years ago? You never told me about that, Kairi."

Kairi lowered her head slightly to gaze down at the ground before letting off a deep, heavy sigh. The grin that had just been on her face was now in the form of a tiny smile, although it did not seem to be hold all of the happiness she had just been feeling. "No, I didn't, did I? I once went to see some really nice stables back when I was three. I went with my-"

"The friend I want you to meet is in here!" Sugoshi interupted loudly, not bothered in the slightest that he had just cut into the girl's telling of a story to Sora about her past. With a wide, toothy grin, he marched over to the door of the nearest stable which had the barrel standing beside it. The door had been divided into two square halves, with the upper half open outwards and up against the wooden wall. A steel latch was bolted to the lower half, keeping it locked in place.

Taking hold of the cold metal handle of the latch, Sugoshi unlocked the lower half of the door. He stepped back as he allowed it to slowly swing outwards, gesturing towards it with an open hand as he turned to the teenagers. "Are you coming inside?"

Sora reluctantly turned his head (which contained a worried expression over Kairi's change of mood) away from his best friend and towards the open doorway. As soon as his vision was filled with what was inside the room of the wooden building, he wrinkled his nose in disgust, frowning hard at what he could see.

The section of the stable which Sugoshi wanted them to follow him into was filthy. Hundreds of straw strands could be seen lying on the concrete inside, having been dumped there untidily, and some of it was covered by shapes of thick, black mud. Sora was appalled that Sugoshi would keep horses inside such a dirty stable, and he was beginning to wonder if the animal which Kairi had been asked to see would turn out to be just as unclean as the room it would come out of. There was not a single sound of braying to be heard from anywhere inside the stable, but there was a faint noise coming out through the doorway which put Sora off going inside even more; the sound of flies buzzing.

"Do you two wanna go in before me?" Sugoshi suggested to the two teenagers. He was grinning widely at them in his own excitement of how they would possible react to what he was keeping inside. "You'll get to see the fella who I want you to meet first."

Sora glanced towards Sugoshi with the same disgusted frown, which didn't stay on his face for much longer as he turned back to shoot a worried expression at Kairi again. She was still gazing down towards the ground in complete silence, and the boy was doubtful that she had even looked up to take a glimpse of the dirty inside of the stable. What looked like a small smile was remaining on her face, and did not seem to be forced on - but Sora could clearly see that the corners of her mouth were twitching. This was the only clue he needed to be sure that she was feeling upset, and he was not prepared to allow her to go anywhere or do anything without telling him first what was wrong so he could be able to change her sadness back into happiness.

All the corcern he was feeling for his best friend still clear on his face, Sora turned from her to look Sugoshi again. "Um... It's okay, we'll stay out here."

"Oh. Are you sure?" Sugoshi now appeared surprised as his grin fell, as did his hand which dropped to his side. "I have no problem with you two coming into my stables, you know. It won't be any trouble. Come on, come inside."

"It's okay, Sugoshi. You can bring who you want us to meet out here." Sora hoped the man would do what he was requesting and take his time inside the stable, so that he would be able to comfort Kairi and find out what was making her miserable. "We wanna stay outside so that..." A pause was required for him to think of an excuse, but he didn't have to spend too long pondering as the perfect one was in front of him. "We won't end up getting ourselves muddy."

Sugoshi sighed, then looked towards Kairi with a light but wide smile. "Fine then. I'll just be a few minutes in there getting them ready to meet you, because there's something which I want them to do which I hope you will like, Kairi."

He trudged through the open doorway, the straw that lay scattered on the concrete crunching softly under his mucky trainers. As soon as he had been hidden from view by the stable's wooden wall, Sora shot his face full of concern down at Kairi again. His jaw dropped in his growing panic, as he could see her head was hanging even lower. The way the long sides of her red hair dangled covered most of of her expression, but the twitching smile on her was unable to avoid being seen by the boy who hardly ever had difficulty sensing how the girl was feeling.

Unable as ever to bear seeing Kairi in such an emotional state, Sora lifted up his left arm to gently put it around her shoulders. "What wrong, Kairi? Why are you feeling sad?"

Kairi shot her head upwards in a surprised reaction to having the boy's arm around her. She had not been expecting it while her mind had been plowing through her thoughts, the majority of which had now vanished in a blur. She slowly turned her head to take a long, silent look at the hand resting on her shoulder, her cheeks turning pink at the feeling of comfort and kindness she was being granted from the selfless boy.

Knowing she had made Sora go into a worrying state about her, Kairi gulped guiltily as she gazed up at her friend. Her eyes filled with shame as they locked onto the expression that was being shot at her, but she couldn't help bring a small smile to her face upon seeing and hearing once again how much Sora cared about her. She was planning to use it anyway to attempt in hope to reassure him of how she was mostly feeling. "I'm not that sad, Sora. I'm just-"

"But you _are_ definitely sad, Kairi, and I need to know why!" Sora was sounding desparate as he interrupted the girl loudly, his wide eyes filling up with even more worry over her. "Please tell me what's troubling you! I hate seeing my best friend miserable! I'm not just gonna stand here and let her feel like that!"

The smile that had been on Kairi's face had vanished, for she was taken aback by the tone Sora was pleading her to tell him what he wanted to know. She felt even worse about herself now, as she hated being the reason to make Sora go into a worrying, panicking state. She was perfectly prepared to tell Sora was what causing her mood to swing, but she hoped it would make him understand and not feel even more stressed over her.

Reaching up with her right arm, Kairi placed her hand gently down onto the gloved one on her shoulder. She found herself able to smile again at the unhappy Sora, although the one she was given him was made of the different emotions she was going through all at once. "Sora, I'm alright," she whispered softly. "I promise you that I am... I'm just thinking about some memories from when I was three."

Sora's eyes had finally been diverted away from Kairi's face, for they had now fallen onto her hand. The very moment she had rested it on his, he had been given his own turn to be surprised. He had not been expecting it in the slightest, expecially since he had placed his hand onto her shoulder. Its softness was able to calm him down and keep his level of panic from going up any further, but it was not enough to distract him from hearing what she had just explained to him.

The boy faced the girl again, a little confused by what she had just told him, but still wanting to know why it was having an affect on her mood. "You mean... the stables which you were telling me about?"

Kairi nodded slowly, her eyes shining as her mind went back to reflecting on the most important piece of her memories. "I went to vist them, Sora... with my grandma."

"Your grandma?" Sora exclaimed, surprised for the second time in a row by Kairi, since the person she had just mentioned to him what not something he expected her to bring up. Her grandmother was somebody who she rarely talked about to anyone, but the single mention of the deceased old woman she had given was able to make Sora understand why she had gone into a sudden mood swing.

"It was a really wonderful day for me when Grandma took me to see the stables," Kairi told him in a quiet voice that was trying to stay together. She closed her fingers around the hand on her shoulder, trying to get even more comfort from it. Having Sora's arm around her shoulder and his hand in hers helped to make telling a story about the only member of her biological family who had lived long enough for her to know a little easier. Telling it to anyone else would have been more difficult than it was meant to be.

Kairi squeezed Sora's hand tightly, feeling able to tell him the full story. "When Grandma told me the two of us we were going to see some horses, I was excited all day. I had never been up to see horses close, so I was really looking forward to it. The moment I first set my eyes on those stables when we arrived, I kept bouncing up and down on the spot. I knew there'd be horses inside them, and I was so happy - but nowhere as happy as when we were finally led to see the horses." She paused to look down, letting off a light chuckle. "I had to control my excited movements there though. Grandma told me I could frighten them, which I didn't wanna do. The guys who ran the place let me feed them hay and smooth them."

She rose her head back up, giving Sora a soft grin which was made of nothing but happiness. "And then they let me do something so amazing, which was the best part of the whole day."

"What was that?" Sora asked, squeezing Kairi's shoulder gently without forcing his hand out of hers.

"They let me ride one of their horses! All on my own - although they were actually _guiding _the horse around the fields it took me through!" Kairi chuckled again. "Grandma was a little worried about me being on the horse on my own, but as soon as she saw me sitting on the horse's back, she just smiled and let them carry on. I was the most excited at that point in the day, when the horse was taking me all around the land. I don't think it was frightened at all by my excitement, but it must have been sick of listening to me giggling and squealing."

Sora shook his head at her, and at last was able to bring a smile back to his face for the girl. He doubted that even the horse which had given a ride to three-year old Kairi on its back would have been annoyed having to listen to noises which he could remember her making a lot of when they were both five. Even as a toddler, he had thought the giggles and squeals she made back then were very cute - just as much as he thought the ones she would still make at the age of fifteen were.

"I thought it was magical to be riding on a horse," Kairi went on. "I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world, because I had never done anything like that before, nor did I know anyone who had. Riding on a horse's back made me feel like a princess."

Sora's smile softened, as he knew the way Kairi had described how she felt while riding on horseback was nothing but true. _Well, you are a princess of heart, _he thought, _and you certainly do deserve to be treated like a princess all the time. That's how I've always wanted to treat you... I just wish I could say you are MY princess. I know we were king and queen before up at Disney Castle, but that was only for a day. And I know even during then, you didn't feel for me the way I will never ever stop feeling for you._

The boy looked down at the ground, his smile almost disappearing as he allowed himself to incorrectly think of how Kairi would never love him. He truly believed that the feelings he had for the girl were something that she would not return to him. She always gave back her appreciatation whenever her did something for her, as well as her kindness and comfort whenever he would tell her about something that would be upsetting him. Her love was something that he had always dreamed of receiving someday. Even if he would have to wait for endless years to receive it, he would have gladly counted them away. Inside himself, he could feel his heart breaking. He was sure the day when she would fall in love with him would never become reality - yet he was completely aware it had arrived years ago, with the girl's secret feelings for him to be there forever.

A soft sigh inturrepted Sora's thoughts, making him snap out of them as he realized he was falling into misery. He shot his head upwards, horrified, as he was quickly beginning to fear the mood he had been sinking had upset Kairi and would ruin the day. He thought that she was about to ask him what was the matter, and he had not idea how he was going to answer, as telling her what had been on his mind would lead to him telling her his feelings, which would be impossible for him to bring himself to do.

Sora locked his nervous expression onto Kairi, expecting her to be facing him with one of concern and unhappiness - only to see that she was looking down at the ground again. Surprised, he dropped his expression, giving her shoulder a squeeze as he looked down at her in his concern. "Kairi? What's the matter?"

Hesitantly raising her head back up, Kairi turned to look at Sora again. The smile she had been giving him while telling him the story was still on her face, but she gave a tiny sniffle before she could stop herself. "I just... miss my grandma."

The five words filled with pain she had spoken to him made Sora's face fall even further into a deeply sad gaze. He carefully pulled her closer to him to give her a gentle hug, stroking the back of her neck softly with his finger tips. This was not the first time he had seen her go into a broken state the memories of the biological relative which she had lived with and lost. The last time her grandmother had ever been mentioned to her by Sora was when the two of them were Traverse Town, and she had been memorizing the story of light and dark - which the elderly woman always had the task of telling to her as a toddler over and over again, but never enough for her to be fed up of it. In the rare times when Kairi mentioned her grandmother herself, however, she would be unable to get many words out before breaking down into tears. Sora had seen before what he was witnessing now, and was not going to just leave her cry without giving her any comfort at all.

"I miss her, Sora," Kairi mumbled into his shoulder, which she had buried her face into. She wrapped her arms around him tight, wishing they would never have to let go of each other.

"I know, Kairi." Sora could feel the material of his jacket that covered his shoulder getting wet from Kairi's tears. He wasn't bothered about that at all, as the only thing he wanted was the girl to let out her emotions. He understood perfectly how the loss of her beloved grandparent hurt her, as he was aware how close the two of them had been. Despite having never met the old woman, he had been able to witness the bond between her and her granddaughter though a memory which Kairi had taken him through. It had allowed him to see and hear the grandmother tell the story which four-year old Kairi had always loved to hear - and would never hear it again from the voice that repeated it so many times to satisfy her.

Sora listened with a lump in his throat as the girl sobbed into his shoulder. He stretched his fingers up to lose them into her hair, stroking the hundreds of red strands in the hope that he was able to provide her with at least some of the comfort he wanted her to have. "I know you loved your grandma," he told her, "and she loved you, too."

The sobbing stopped as Kairi brought her head up from Sora's shoulder. She turned her head to face him again, still holding onto him tight. Tears continued to run down her rosy cheeks, but her lips were managing to curl into a small, upset smile. "And you know what _I _know, Sora?"

Sora gazed at her gloomily, not understanding her. He shook his head. "No."

"I know Grandma would've loved _you_, too." Kairi leaned forward, this time resting her chin where her face had been hidden. She couldn't feel the wet strain her tears had made on Sora's shoulder, and was now letting the ones that were only just escaping fall onto his back. "She'd have loved you, Sora, just like she loved me."

The boy gazed at the back of the girl's hair, which he was still running his fingers through. What she had just said to him moved him a little, as he knew it was an act of the girl's kindness. Despite this, he strongly felt confident that even if the old woman who Kairi missed had lived long enough to learn he existed and was friends with her granddaughter, she wouldn't have cared for him in the same way as her family. "I don't think so, Kairi. She never knew me."

"I wish she had, Sora," Kairi sniffed, the pain from her shattered heart becoming almost unbareable. "I wish she'd have gotten to meet you. She'd have seen all the wonderful things you do for me and how happy you make me. I'd make sure she'd know about everything we've been though together, and even how far you went last year just to save me. She'd never stop loving you, Sora. I wish you two could have me-"

Kairi's words suddenly froze in her throat, a horrible thought striking in her mind. Without lifting her head from Sora's shoulder, she shot her eyes full of shock and horror up at the clouds floating in the sky. The tears were still racing down her cheeks, even faster than before.

She had just realized that Sora had a likely chance of meeting her grandmother - and that was exactly what was frightening her.

If it was to happen, then she would be forever all on her own without either of them.

Kairi was appalled with herself. She thought she had just made herself sound like she wanted to lose Sora and let him go onto the afterlife. She began to pant heavily, shaking in the boy's arms. He had now gone silent, and she believed in her fear that it was because he was hurt and angry with her. She had not intended for what she had said to sound the way it did - but she did not think the boy was gonna be convinced of that. The way he was being wordless now, she believed she had already lost him; by destroying the special friendship they had shared since they were toddlers.

"Kairi..." she heard him suddenly murmur.

"_SORA!_" she cried out in a loud wail, tightening her arms around him in a large grasp as painful sobs were let out of her throat. "_I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! I'M SORRY!"_

Sora jumped in fright from the sudden cries she was letting off and the enormous tone she was apologizing to him in. He turned his head to stare with wide, confused eyes onto the back of Kairi's head, completely baffled by what was going on. Just a moment ago, all she had been doing was telling him she wished her grandmother could have met him. Now she seemed to regret telling him that and was saying (or rather, screaming) sorry to him. He couldn't see what she had to be sorry for, for he had not taken her wish the way - unknown to him - she was afraid he had. What he could see was that she was in tears and frightened, so his tightened his arms around her, hoping to make her feel secure. "Kairi, what do you mean?"

"_DON'T LEAVE ME, SORA!_" Kairi begged as she cried. She made the hug she was given him as tight as it could be, not wanting him to ever be let out of her arms. "_PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! I CAN'T EVER LOSE YOU! I NEED YOU! PLASE STAY WITH ME!"_

A small gasp escaped from the boy's lips, though it could barely be heard over the sobs from the girl. Although Sora still could not see why Kairi was full of sorrow for what she had said about him meeting her grandmother, he did not need any time to put together in his head why she was pleading him not to leave her. Seeing the state she was in now over what they both feared made him feel like crying as well. He began to lightly stroke her hair again, feeling her begin to tremble in his arms. He doubted he was bringing her the slightest bit of comfort for her this time. He couldn't even find comfort himself from the softness of her hair. The only thing that would make everything back to the way it was for them again would be to hear that his cancer had been completely cured. They still had to wait another five days to hear something, and it would perhaps not be what they wanted to learn. Maybe it would turn out to be what they - along with everybody who knew about his condition - were afraid of. Sora did not even know if he was going to live long enough to hear what the doctors would say, for the day when the results of his surgery would arrive would be when he would possibly lose his life.

"I need you, Sora..." Kairi whimpered, her voice now softer, but the tears from her eyes flowing just as fast while her expression was still broken. "I need you..."

"Are you two alright?"

The concerned voice which trailed from the open door of the stable made Sora and Kairi pull away from each other (though they kept their arms around each other). They gazed at each other, both feeling a little stunned from having their hurt-filled moment broken into, before turning to the direction of where they had heard it come from. They saw Sugoshi standing there, and immediately pulled away from each other. They had almost forgotten about the horse keeper, and were afraid to be seen embracing each other in front of him, believing he would pass a comment about it. They didn't realize he was too worried about them both to say anything about them hugging - for something else had already attracted their attention. It was standing right beside Sugoshi, and the sight of it made Kairi's face brighten up as she dried her eyes to see it better.

In the open doorway of the stable stood a tall, pure white Camargue horse. It was staring towards the teenagers with an expression as blank as its body, almost identical to the ones the young Saddlebreds in the pen had given them. It excitedly swished its long tail, which matched the creme shade of the thin mane on its head. Around its snout and the top of its head was a thin, brown bridle, which had the free ends of its reins gripped in Sugoshi's fist. Kairi could see that he had placed a black saddle onto the animal's back. She couldn't guess why, but was not making any effort to, nor was she noticing the pair of black, leather riding hats he was carrying under his left arm. She was too amazed by the horse's beauty to take note of anything else nearby.

Taking a few steps forward, Kairi approached the large 'arrival' who had only just become visible in the scene. She stood directly in front of the horse, gazing up at it with her widened eyes. "Oh my gosh! What a wonderful-looking animal!"

"Are you alright, Kairi?" Sugoshi asked her the question which had been ignored in a tone of more worry. From inside the stable, while he had been putting the bridle and saddle on the horse, he had heard Kairi's shrieking apologies and pleads to Sora not to leave her. It had sent him into alarm, and when he had hurried outside with the horse in tow to find out what was upsetting her, he had been taken aback by the sight of her sobbing in Sora's arms. It had made him unhappy himself to see her in an emotional state, and he was not convinced by the fact she had suddenly stopped to begin cooing over the horse that it had ended. He placed the two riding hats onto the lid of the nearby barrel, letting his arm drop to his side. "Why were you crying just now?"

"Oh." Kairi turned to face Sugoshi and rubbed her cheeks to get rid of the remaining tearmarks that had been left on them. She took a breath which she had needed from all the sobbing she had done, then lowered her hand to shoot an apologetic smile at the horse keeper. "I'm really sorry about that, Sugoshi. I'm feeling okay now."

"Are you sure?" Sugoshi frowned, suspecting the girl was just claiming to okay because she had noticed he had returned. He was wondering if she was in too much misery to do what he was going to ask her, which was something he had never suggested before to anyone who came near his horses.

Kairi nodded slowly, her cheeks still just as rosy as when she had been sobbing her broken heart out, but her eyes no longer full of any tears. She gave one final tiny sniffle before looking up in awe at the animal before her, her eyes now shining in delight instead of tears. "This horse is so amazing. He looks so beautiful."

Sugoshi sighed, then pulled a smile, finding himself now to believe that Kairi was okay. Listening to the words she had just stated about the horse made him feel confident that it had managed to cheer her up on her first sight of it. "Well, I don't know which horse you're talking about, Kairi," he teased, "but I think this one hopes you think _she _is, as well."

The girl's smile disappeared for a brief second as she took in that while speaking, she had called the horse a 'he' when it was a 'she'. She laughed lightly in a small amount of embarrassment, her cheeks hardly showing the faintly deeper shade of pink they were changing into. "Sorry," she apologised. "But she definitely is beautiful. Does she have a name?"

"She does!" Sugoshi nodded with as much pride as there was within the growing grin on his face. "Hime-Kotsu."

Kairi curiously repeated the name of the horse inside her head, having never heard anything like it before, but at the same time, thinking it sounded really nice for such a creature that looked so stunning. She reached up with her hand to place her finger tips carefully onto the creme-coloured mane, cautiously giving it a soft, gentle scratch. "Hello, Hime-Kotsu. You're a pretty horse, aren't you."

Hime-Kotsu replied with the same happy noises that the young horses in the pen had given off to Sora and Kair when they had been spoilt. Enjoying the attention she was receiving, she closed her tennis ball-sized black eyes, then slowly lowered her head so far down, her lips were barely above the concrete. She wasn't feeling the slightest bit of fear of the two humans her owner had brought along for her to meet.

Kairi grinned down in response to Hime-Kotsu's action, assuming that she wanted her to scratch her entire mane. Her fingertips were still on the middle of the line of thin hairs, as she had lowered her hand along with the horse's head. She brushed her fingers along the mane until they were on the upper edge in between the two large ears, then carefully began to drag her thin nails back down towards the lower edge, which was at the bottom of Hime-Kouto's neck. Her grin softened as she listened to to the small, quiet sounds which continued to come from the horse. Despite her being unable to talk, the noises she was making told Kairi easily that she really liked the scratching on her mane.

"She's the horse I've owned the longest. Have had her for years! Bought her back when I was young-" Sugoshi paused himself from explaining the story he had begun in a highly-proud voice to let off an embarrassed chuckle, running a hand through his mud brown hair. "Even though, I _am _still young now. But she was only a foal back then. She and the other foals in her family were up for sale when we first met. When the guy who owned them took me to see them, she was the only one of the lot to take any notice of me - or rather, try and get any attention from me. It was easy for me to decide which horse I was gonna take with me after the first five minutes of ear scratching."

"So d'you think scratching behind her ear will make her like me to?"

The voice which had spoken next did not belong to Kairi, and since it had come unexpectedly from right beside her, it had made her jump with a barely audible startled cry. It was not a voice she ever had trouble recognising. Still with the level of surprise it had given her visible in her expression, she turned to her to see Sora standing there with a large grin. He was looking down towards where Hime-Kotsu had lowered her head. Noticing his arm was also reaching in that direction, Kairi's eyes curiously followed it to see that he was beginning to scratch behind the animal's left ear. More happy sounds continued to come from the horse, leading to the girl's own healing, cheery mood to grow even higher.

"That's it, Sora, you got it!" Sughoshi laughed as he pointed down towards Hime-Kotsu's flickering ear which was being stratched. "That's the exact same noise she made years ago when I scratched her ears for the first time. I can tell that she likes you as well - but I'm afraid I'm not gonna let her go live with you, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sugoshi! I don't think my Mom would let me keep a horse anyway! She'd just complain everyday about me keeping it in the lounge!" Sora laughed in return before bringing his attention to Kairi. He had noticed that she was now gazing up at him softly, and he grinned at her while sending his hand on Hime-Kotsu's head to scratch her other ear. "She's a lovely horse, ain't she, Kairi?"

Smiling back at the boy with twinkling blue eyes, Kairi nodded at him slowly before taking a few steps backwards. It no longer mattered to her if Sugoshi would be watching them. She wanted to show Sora how thankful she was for everything he had done to make the day so special. Waiting until he had brought her home now felt impossible and unbearable for her to put up with.

Sora, having watched Kairi make her way backwards from where she had been standing and seeing her now a few paces away from him, was a little puzzled by her move. Completely clueless as to what she was about to do, he turned his body towards her, his smile having just slipped. "Kairi? What are you doing?"

With her smile quickly changing into a very wide grin, Kairi suddenly darted towards the boy. She saw him leaning back immediatly in fright as she took her hurried, tireless steps in his direction. Without giving him a chance to race out of her way, she propelled herself into the air with her left foot, and used her very short time of flight to throw her arms tightly around Sora before the soles of her shoes landed back down on the concrete. "_Thank you, Sora! _Thank you for taking me to see this amazing, wonderful animal! You've made my day even happier!"

Although highly startled by Kairi's act of sprinting towards him and launching herself at him just to give him a hug, Sora's arms had automatically reacted to embrace the girl back. He stared at her face with the shock she had succeeded to give him - which managed to fade away after a few seconds to make room for a modest smile. "It was Sugoshi who took you to see Hime-Kotsu," he reminded her, nodding in the direction of the horse-keeper. "Not me."

"Yes it was you!" Kairi retorted stubbornly, pulling a face at Sora, but with all the happiness she was feeling still visible in her eyes. "It was you who took me all the way out here to this fantastic countryside - for the second day in a row! You're the one who made that lovely picnic we shared together earlier, and then you took me to see the horses!"

"Because you asked me if we could." Sora couldn't understand why Kairi was giving all the credit to him, as he would never have given a thought to the horses they saw from the hot air balloon if she hadn't mentioned them.

"And you said we could!" Kairi pulled away a little, but kept her arms tightly around the person she was in love with so much. The grin had returned to her face, even wider than before. "If you had said no, Sora-"

"Which I wouldn't have!"

"Then we wouldn't have gotten to see those cute little guys in the field, nor would we have ever seen this lovely big lady!" Kairi pulled her arm away from Sora to reach towards Hime-Kotsu and give her ears a quick scratch, then used it to embrace the boy again. She rested her head comfortably onto his shoulder, closing her eyes with her smile remaining on her face. "Thank you, Sora."

Sora gazed down at the girl, his eyes widening slightly as his cheeks began turn red, for her latest action towards him had put him in surprise once again. It was not an action he needed any fraction of time to warm to, however, and was one which he was very happy to welcome. Letting Kairi lay her head on his shoulder helped to remind him of how content he always managed to make her feel. Pleased to be the one to provide her with the comfort she needed, Sora smiled as he reached up to gently stroke the princess' hair. He listened to her let off a relaxed sigh, which sounded almost dream-like to him. It was far sweeter than the noises of the horses which he had had to listen to for a good amount of time.

Not forgetting about Sugoshi, Sora lifted to head to face him while keeping his arms around Kairi, not stopping his one hand from running through her hair. "Thanks for bringing us up here to see Hime-Kotsu, Sugoshi."

The filthy-clothed man grinned, taking a glance at the horse that stood beside him, then held up his fist to show the teenagers the reins he was gripping onto. "To tell you the truth, I didn't bring you all the way up here just to meet her!"

"Huh?" Kairi opened her eyes, her attention already grabbed by what Sugoshi had just informed her and Sora. She stared puzzledly towards the horse-keeper. Her head did not lift an inch from Sora's shoulder, but her face was scrunching up in as much confusion as there was within in the boy's. "What d'you mean?"

"I brought you up here," Sugoshi announced in a raising tone of excitement, "so you two can take her out for a ride!"

Kairi rose her head up quickly from Sora's shoulder at the sound of Sugoshi's offer, which had taken an instant affect on her level of excitement. She shot her surprised, amazed expression in the direction the horse-keeper, not noticing it matched that of the boy's almost perfectly. The thought of herself riding on Hime-Kotsu's back was already racing through her mind, leaving her barely able to believe she was being given the opportunity to do it for real. It would take her back on the wonderful adventure she had when she was three, and she couldn't think of anything in the world that would be able to force her to refuse it (especially since her prince would be there to enjoy it along with her).

"Really?" she squealed happily to Sugoshi, keeping her arms around Sora.

"You'd like us to have a ride on your horse?" the boy asked. He was just as enlightened by the idea of riding on horseback with Kairi as the girl was about him.

"That's why I put the saddle on her," Sugoshi explained, smiling as he pointed to the brown, leather seat resting on Hime-Kotsu's back. "How far away do you two live?"

Sora's smile disappeared, the question he and Kairi had just been asked stealing away the delight he had just been feeling. He realized Sugoshi was willing to let them ride Hime-Kotsu all the way back to their houses. It was an generous offer he was already grateful for, but he didn't think the horse-keeper would let them go ahead with it if he knew they lived on the very end of the main island. He probably wouldn't be prepeared to let his beloved horse trot all those endless miles, and even if he did, she would perhaps just stop while still in the countryside, too exhausted to carry him and Kairi the full distance they needed to go. Trying with difficult to accept that what sounded for special for him and the girl to share was not going to happen, Sora broke the hug from the girl. He could see that she was looking up at him with an equally disappointed expression, and he wondered if she was having the same down-heartening thoughts and predictions as he was.

"What's wrong?" Sughoshi asked in alarm, picking up that the teenagers' excitement over his offer had suddenly been replaced with gloominess. He glanced repeatedly from Sora to Kairi and back to the boy again, taken aback by the expressions they were giving each other. "Do you two not want the honour of riding my horse?"

"We do, Sugoshi," Kairi answered miserably, turning towards him with sagged shoulders as she proceeded to explain with similar words which Sora would have used if he had been the one to respond first. "I really wish we could. The sound of riding on Hime-Kotsu sounds wonderful. But we live miles away from here. All the way at the other end of the island..."

"Brilliant!" Sugoshi clapped his hands together, the grin that had been erased from his face having reappeared. "That means you'll get a nice, long ride."

"But..." Sora shot a glance that contained his newly-formed baffled expression towards Hime-Kotsu, then sent it to the equally puzzled Kairi before facing Sugoshi again. "Isn't that gonna be too far for Hime-Kotsu? She'll get tired-"

"No she won't! She'll love it!" Sugoshi interrupted. He nodded his head towards the horse's - which she had raised to stare at him, as if listening to what he was saying about her. "Hime-Kotsu always loves it when I take her on a very long ride. She could go around the whole island in the space of one day if I let her. And I bet she'll love getting the job her taking her new friends home."

Kairi gave a tiny grin, feeling lightened a little over being reminded that she and Sora had made the animal like them, but still feeling unprepeared to take her on the walk that would probably lead her to collapsing. "Won't she get hungry or thirsty taking us all that distance?"

"It's only when she's finished a long journey that's she's ready for refuelling."

"I don't have any hay or barrels of water in my house to give her when we get there," Sora laughed uneasily.

"I'm sure you don't. But there's plenty of that in my truck." Sugoshi pointed out to the vehicle parked at the further end of the yard with the horse box behind it. "That's one of the reasons why I'm gonna follow you in it. I'll be able to bring Hime-Kotsu home when she's dropped you two off, but she can have a drink and a snack first outside your houses. When she's had all the food and drink she needs, I can put her in the horse box, and then she can have her _own_ ride back home." He let off a chuckle. "She'll probably make herself comfortable and be asleep by the time we get back here. If that happens, then it'll be hard for me to wake her up to put her back in the stable."

"Are you sure about this now, Sugoshi?" Kairi asked, raising her eyebrows as she gazed doubtfully towards the man. "We don't wanna make Hime-Kotsu walk a distance that'll tire her out. If she's gonna get exhausted-"

"Then it would be the first time she does during the middle of a ride!" Sugoshi interrupted in a high tone. He was grinning assuringly at Kairi, but was running out of things to say to make her and Sora feel happy to ride his horse to the far end of the island. "Kairi, it'll be fine. She'll just take you wherever you steer her to, no matter how far away it is, and will be ready to have something to eat and drink as soon as she's dropped you two off. She won't get tired, and you won't end up walking half the way on foot. Everybody in your neighbourhood is gonna see you two arrive home on a lovely white horse."

Finally feeling confident that she wouldn't be taking Hime-Kotsu on a journey of torture, Kairi smiled in excitement as she turned to face Sora. She could see that his face was lighting up again, and she felt pleased to realized that he didn't need any further persuading either. "Do you know how to steer a horse, Sora?" she giggled. "'Cause you're gonna need to if Hime-Kotsu's gonna take us home."

"Wha-" Sora cried in alert, his mouth falling open wide as he realized he did not know a single thing about riding horses. Kairi's question told him that she wanted him at the front when they were on Hime-Kotsu's back - which was what he had also been picturing himself, but he now suspected that being able to find their way home would take more than just simply gripping the reins and letting the horse do all the rest. He shot a hopeful look at Kairi, praying the expierence she had years ago would give her the knowledge he needed. "Do _you _know how, Kairi? You'veridden on a horse before."

"Yeah, when I was _three_! And I was not taking it where I wanted to go, Sora! It was being guided by the people who owned it!" Kairi laughed loudly as she shook her head in disbelief. She turned to Sugoshi, gesturing a hand towards the worried boy. "Sugoshi, could you please explain to my driver how he steers a horse? Otherwise, I have no idea where we're gonna end up with him in control!"

"Alright, Kairi." Chuckling along with her, Sugoshi released the reins attached to the bridle on Hime-Kotsu's head that he had been holding onto since leading her out of the stable. He picked up the two riding hands from the lid of the barrel, holding one in each hand out towards the teenagers. "But I'm gonna need you two to put these on first before you even takes Hime-Kotsu out of these yard. It really hurts if you fall off a horse and hit your head on the ground. I don't want you two going home having done that."

With the frightening thought of tumbling off Hime-Kotsu's back and crashing his head down onto the concrete road running briefly through his mind, Sora's hands shook a little as he took one of the hats from Sugoshi. He watched as Kairi happily accepted the other one and fixed it onto her head straightaway, but remembering where they had come from, he tilted his forward to check if there was any dirt or mud inside, ready to make a home in his hair. Only the darkness of the velvet inside the hat met his eyes, appearing to be completly free of even a spot of anything unclean.

Now feeling willing to wear the hat, Sora held it upright and placed it firmly down onto his head. He could feel many of the brown spikes of his hair getting squashed within the small space inside, but he didn't realize two were sticking outwards wildly, one on each side of his head. He took hold of the strap and clipped it firmly into place under his chin, securing the black lump that covered his entire forehead. It managed to make him feel he was safe from head injuries, so he turned towards Kairi to grin at her. He had no idea that the wide grin she was sending straight back to him was created by the crazy appearence the spikes sticking out on each side of his hat were giving him.

"Stand over here now, Sora," Sugoshi ordered calmly, pointing down to the wooden mounting block that sat on the left side of Hime-Kotsu. He was grinning as well at how Sora appeared and was unaware of. As soon as the boy was approaching him, he had to turn away to keep himself from bursting into a loud eruption of laughter. "You're gonna have to pull yourself up onto Hime-Kotsu's saddle."

Sora stomped up the three steps of the mounting block, doubtfulness starting to appear in his expression as he gazed at the leather seat on the horse's back. He was completely unsure of how he was going to get himself onto it. Whatever first move he would make himself would probably frighten the horse and send him falling to a painful bump on the concrete. He looked towards Sugoshi with his nervousness, hoping the help he was going to ask for would have him sitting on the saddle without any danger. "How do I get on there, Sugoshi?"

Sugoshi peered past Sora and towards the horse's head, seeing he had left the reins dangling in front of her. "Can you pass the reins up, Kairi?" he asked the girl, pointing down towards the thin cords. "Just lift them up and pass them over her head to Sora. She won't hurt you if you do that. So don't worry about her biting your hand."

Not feeling the least bit afraid, Kairi took hold of the reins that dangled in front of Hime-Kotsu from her birdle. She straightened them out and made sure they left a gap wide enough to pass over the animal's head, then stretched her arm up towards Sora's reach. The horse's eyes widened as she watched the cords about to be sent over her, but noticing this, Kairi gently placed her free hand onto her snout, smoothing it gently with a smile so that Hime-Kotsu would keep calm. She listened happpily to the soft noises that her new friend was making from the attention she was being spoilt with, holding the reins above her head until she felt them being taken out of her grasp.

"Alright, you've got them now, Sora," Sugoshi said, seeing that the boy was worriedly using his left hand take to hold of the reins, which were now behind Hime-Kotsu's head. He nodded down towards the left stirrup which hung from the saddle, dangling completely still beside the animal's left side. "Now you need to put your left foot in there. Take hold of the back of the saddle, but keep hold of the reins and pull yourself up until you can sit down."

With a fear-filled look being sent down by him to the stirrup, Sora gulped and lifted up his left leg. He cautiously moved his foot forwards, placing it inside the square metal frame which had its left and right edges closing tightly against the sides of his large boot. Resting his sole against the bottom edge, Sora took hold of the rear of the saddle, keeping a tight grip on it. He took one deep breath, trying to inhale some confidence, then pressed his left foot down onto the stirrup as he lifted his right one off the mounting block. He could feel the frame around his foot sinking slightly as the strap it hung from strained from his weight. Although his terror rose as the belief of falling off in any second, he did not let it distract him from sliding his right leg over the saddle. His attention was only stolen when he took a look towards the front of the horse. He saw Kairi standing there, watching in amazement as he climbed onto the animal's back. His nervousness was replaced with a brief bit of delight by the warming expression she was giving him - and by the time he realized he had let himself lose concentration of what he was doing, he found he was already sitting on Hime-Kotsu's back.

"Woohoo! Look at you, Sora!" Kairi cheered, thrilled by the unbelievable sight before her of the boy she loved on the saddle of a horse. Her eyes were shining happily up towards him. With the fact that she was going to be joining him and letting him take her home on the animal, she was going to feel more like the princess she was than she had when she was three. "You look so awesome up there!"

"Are you ready to climb on, Kairi?" Sughoshi asked. He pulled the reins out of Sora's hand, which had gone stiff as the boy was lost in his imagination. "Once you'e up there, I'll explain how to steer so your driver can take you on your way."

Kairi grinned wider in her growing eagerness, making her way over to where the mounting block sat so that she could join Sora for her magical ride. "Alright, Sugoshi."

Sora was staring at the back of Hime-Kotsu's head, wondering to himself if he was dreaming. He was in for his first ever ride on a horse's back - but having the love of his love along for the whole journey was what would make it so wonderful. He was thinking excitedly to himself of how amazing their ride on the animal to the far end of the island would be. With the responsibilty of being the driver in his hands, he would detirmined not to make it go horribly wrong and end up ruinning it for Kairi. He wanted it to make her as happy as she had been when she had been on horseback as a toddler. She would hopefully feel like the princess she was again as they would travel together through the countryside - and being there with her would make him feel like a prince.

The sound of some weight dropping behind him onto the saddle snapped Sora out of his daydream. Jerking upright in surprise, he looked curiously over his shoulder to find Kairi sitting right behind him. He had been too lost in his own imagination about the horse ride ahead of them to notice the girl climbing up confidently to join him on Hime-Kotsu's back. The same joyful grin on her face was being directed at him, which led him to sending one back to her in return. "Ready for me to drive you home, Princess?"

Kairi gave an excited nod - then hugged her driver tightly around his middle. Sora's grin disappeared as he was taken by surprise, looking down with wide eyes at the arms that had a hold of him. His cheeks began to turn red as he thought the embrace he was receiving was very nice, although he had a feeling it was only so Kairi could keep herself safe from falling off the horse. He had no idea that the other reason for it was because the girl just wanted to be affectionate towards him.

"Alright, listen closely, Sora," Sugoshi called to him, attracting the attention of both teenagers as he marched over to the front of Hime-Kotsu. "To get Hime-Kotsu moving, you need to use your legs to apply a bit of pressure to her sides. But not too hard, mind, or your gonna end up tumbling off! Once you've got her going, she won't stop until you command her to stop by pulling the reins back gently."

"Alright. So that's how I stop and go," Sora said, reminding himself inside his head what not to do so that he and Kairi would be able to stay on Hime-Kotsu's back when the journey was beginning. "But how do I make her go in the directions I want?"

"By using only _one _leg to apply pressure to the opposite side of where you want to go," Sugoshi answered. He looked up at Sora's puzzled expression that was forming, and realized he needed to explain in a more detailed way for him to understand. "Say you wanna go left, you apply pressure with your right leg. And when you wanna go right, you do the same with your left leg. Hime-Kotsu will know which way to go. Just make sure you remember that, or she'll just carry on going straight ahead. You got that?"

"Yeah," Sora replied flatly, although he was a little more nervous about how the trip was going to turn out. The thought of using his left leg to guide the horse right and vice versa sounded confusing to him. Although he was taking it in now, he expected himself to forget as soon as they reached the first junction. He took hold of the reins in both his hands, pleading silently to himself to not make him and Kairi go the wrong way - or end up falling off the horse and hurting themselves badly on the ground.

Sugoshi grinned up widely at the teenagers, taking a few steps backwards so his horse would have plenty of room to start trotting forward. "Are you two ready?"

"I'm ready!" Kairi squealed, tightening her arms around Sora and squeezing her eyes full of happiness shut.

The horse-keeper nodded up at Sora, giving him a cue to start moving. "Go on, Sora!"

Sora gripped the reins tightly all the nervousness that had gone into his hands. Taking one large, deep breath, he squeezed the sides of Hime-Kotsu gently with his feet.

The horse brayed loudly - then suddenly began to trot forward along the concrete in an unexpected quick speed. Sora and Kairi each let off a surprised, starled cry, neither of them having expected the journey to begin as fast as Hime-Kotsu was going. The boy was already finding it to be bumpy, for the steps made by all four of the animal's hooves caused him to joggle on the saddle. His fear rising rapidly over the thought of falling off in any second, he dug his shoes further through the stirrups so that they would be held on more securely. As he looked up to notice the animal was taking them towards the yard's entrance, he could feel the arms around him getting tighter. He could tell that Kairi had been as shocked as he was from the unexpected speed they were starting off in - and the thought of being the one to keep her safe helped to calm him down from the shock he had been given.

"Ha! She's a fast starter, ain't she?" Sugoshi chuckled, having stepped briskly backwards to allow his horse to charge past him, and now watching as she carried the teenagers towards the edge of the yard. He turned to where the truck was parked on the opposite end and began to make his way towards it - but stopped after only a few steps and spun around in time to see Hime-Kotsu's tail disappear behind the side of the stables she was kept in. "Enjoy your journey home! I'll catch up with you two later!"

Hime-Kotsu was now clopping hurriedly down the dirt road. Although her walking speed had decreased, since her excitement was toning down, her two riders were still atonished at how quick she was going. Kairi held onto Sora tighter as she turned to her right, gazing out at as much of the flat green land as she could before it flew away from her. The height she was now at helped her to see further into the distance than she had been able to when walking with the boy _to _the horse yard. Enjoying her ride already, Kairi giggled in her delight. Hime-Kotsu had only just begun to carry her and Sora away from the location where they had met her, and the journey was going as magically as she had expected. Being on the back of a horse who was taking her all the way home revived an old feeling, for Kairi felt a lot like the princess she was. Even more, however, than she had when she was three. The reason why she felt more special than her first horse ride had was sitting right in front of her.

Turning to face the back of the head with a spike sticking out of each side, Kairi tightened her arms around Sora. Her heart was leaping unstoppably from all her growing joy and excitement. "Whoo, Sora! This is so awesome!"

A grin rose to the face of the young driver of the horse, created by the loud, cheerful voice of the girl he was making happy. He had managed to keep himself from being wobbled by Hime-Kouto's steps, and was now sitting comfortably on the saddle with the reins gripped in his hands. His attention had been focused on the tarmac road which their path was soon to join - but he couldn't resist stealing a glance over his shoulder to get a brief look at the beaming face behind him. "You enjoying the ride then, Kairi?"

"I _love_ it, Sora! It's so wonderful! I never thought I'd get to do this again!"

Kairi paused from answering her friend in her raised, thrilled tone, taking another observation at the land on her right which she could take more in of while moving. A faint, distant bray crawled into her ears, and knowing the exact nearby spot where it had screeched from, she peered over Sora's shoulder to look further along the dirt road. Keeping her firm hold of her driver so that she wouldn't fall off Hime-Kotsu, she spotted the horse pen a good distance away on the right side of their path. The American Saddlebreds could be seen, all still within the fenced-area, and as they came clearer into view with each of the Camargue's steps, the grin on Kairi's face grew even wider.

Her eyes fell onto the side of Sora's head, full of glee over the fact that he was there with her. "I'm feeling like a princess again."

Sora's grin softened at the words Kairi had told him, which he was very pleased to hear. The girl was now feeling the way he wanted her to feel throughout the ride. Although she was aware she was a princess of heart, the fact did not seem to have any affect on how she lived her life. He knew she was too kind and selfless to expect everyone to treat her in a royal manner every hour of the day, but he was prepeared to do that if it would make her very happy. Being someone who could change the mood of the girl he loved for the better was something he never wanted to come to an end, and finding out that she had felt like a princess on her first horse ride had made him desperate not to let her second one keep her from doing the same.

As the boy went into a blank state to think of how Kairi was feeling, the princess rose herself upwards to get a look at what he was failing to notice. "Sora! Get ready to turn here!"

Her urgent, alerting voice snapped Sora out of his thoughts. Putting his mind back on finding his way home on Hime-Kotsu, he looked up to realize that she was approaching where the dirt road joined the tarmac one. The horse pen was now only a few metres away, and a few of the Saddlebreds had trotted over to the rear fence in interest to watch the teenagers riding on the back of their stablemate. Sora glanced at them as he readied himself to change the direction Hime-Kotsu was carrying him and Kairi in - and then he suddenly remembered in horror that the church was nearby on their left.

Becoming very terrified once again at the thought of Kairi being able to notice it, Sora turned with his aghast expression towards where he'd find the building standing. His widened eyes full of panic did not fail to catch it, noticing it all by itself beside the road. Although it was still a great distance away from them, and was not becoming much clearer as Hime-Kotsu approached the road, it remained standing out visibly within the boy's view, looking just as miserable as ever. Kairi had not noticed it when they had first been at the horse pen, and the fact she wasn't saying anything about it that moment told Sora that even from the back of the horse, the miserable sight still had not yet come into her eyeline. It would, however, if he was to lead them along the quickest way home. Turning to the left to ride through the town would have Hime-Kotsu take them directly past the church. It would be impossible for Kairi not to notice it then, and Sora knew the sight of it would tear her heart to pieces, as it had done when they had first noticed it from the hot air balloon. He was doubtful if the rest of the journey would take away the devesating thought that was almost about to be planted in her head - but he had already decided he was not going to going to allow it to happen.

Gripping the reins as firm as he could while his face scrunched deeply into a frown, Sora shot his head towards where the road led to the right. The decision he just had made and was not going to back out of for anything was to take Kairi the longer way home. It meant they would have follow the more lengthy route which his mother had driven along that morning to take them to the field above the sea, and he could remember they had used it the night before to find their way back to their estate after leaving the hot air balloon behind. It would most likely be dark before they would even be out of the countryside, but Sora wasn't bothered by any of those facts. If the way home he was going to take would keep Kairi from seeing the church and having their special day being ruined with misery, then he was fully prepared to ride past the same green fields they had both been looking around at for the whole day.

Hime-Kotsu was only a few feet away from reaching the road stretched out ahead of them. Sora kept his eyes focused into the direction he was going to have the animal turn to - until he realized he had forgotten what he had to do to steer a horse. As he began to panic, his frown disappeared to be replaced by an expression of urgency, which he shot at Kairi as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Kairi? How do I turn Hime-Kotsu right again?"

The girl had been grinning softly towards the Saddlebreds as Hime-Kotsu's trotting had brought her closer to them, but the boy's desperate question which he had just asked her led her to focusing her attention back on him. "Right?" she cried. "You gotta press your left leg against her side!"

Sora gave Kairi a more softer frown, one which was created by his newly-formed doubt. Despite the instruction she had given him being the same as what Sugoshi had, to him, it did not sound correct. Using his left leg to steer Hime-Kotsu right didn't make a lot of sense to him. He thought using his right one to go in the direction he wanted would make the animal more likely to obey his command. He turned away from Kairi whilst lowering his head worriedly, staring down his foot which he had stuck into the left stirrup. "My left leg to go right?" he shouted in his uncertainty. "Are you sure now, Kairi?"

"Yes, Sora!" Kairi answered. She was taking another look towards the horsepen, which Hime-Kotsu was beginning to trot past. She smiled as she saw the Saddlebreds turning their heads to follow the Camargue, all of them surprised to see the two humans that had visited them earlier riding on the back of her. She let go of Sora with one of her arms, giving a giving a small wave to the animals she was about to leave behind. "Aww! Look at them! They look smaller from up here!"

Sora quickly lifted his head to look ahead of him, seeing that Hime-Kotsu was only a few trots away from walking out onto the tarmac road. He had both his legs ready to lead her onto the long route home - but he was still unsure if it was his left leg he had to use. He was afraid giving the horse the order which Kairi had given to him would send them in the direction he didn't want to go. He wouldn't even be able to handle the feeling of simply turning to the left, as he would be unable to do anything then to stop the church becoming visible at last to Kairi. "My left leg! Are you sure I don't use my right one?"

"That's only if you wanna go left Sora!" Irriatation was becoming audible in Kairi's shouting voice. She was getting a little fed up of the boy asking how to turn right when she had already told him what he needed to know. "Come on, Sora! Just pick your direction!"

Deciding at last to go with Kairi's instructions, Sora pressed his left leg gently against Hime-Kotsu side - just when she had taken her first step onto the tarmac. The horse responded immediately by beginning to change her direction - turning the way Sora wanted them to go. Picking up speed a little, she left the dirt road behind, all four of her hooves now clopping along the main one. She knew her path and was making her way along the left side of the road, the gloomy sight which the boy had been detirmined to avoid passing now behind the three of them.

Kairi was grinning even more joyfully as Hime-Kotsu took them along the road, seeing they were passing the front fence of the pen. She could see that the Saddlebreds that had gathered at the rear side were stepping away from there, and most of them were lowering their heads to go back to eating. Three were hurrying after them, however, and as they raced up to front of the pen to catch up with them, she giggled happily upon realizing they were the three young ones who had come to see her earlier. She went back to waving at them happily, taking a good last look at them as she began to leave them behind. "Bye now! We've loved seeing you all! Bye bye!"

Sora smiled to himself as he listened to the sweet tone Kairi was speaking to the horses in. The day had gone wonderfully for them both, and he was glad to have allowed her to choose where to go after the picnic. Her choice had led to their time in the countryside becoming even more special than he had expected himself when he had made his plans the night before. He was so delighted to have been able to bring so much joy to Kairi - as well as feeling so relieved they had not ended up going in the direction that would have ruined the day - he didn't notice the picnic basket sitting in front of the pen from when he had placed it there earlier. It remained sitting on the narrow stretch of grass in between the front fence and the road, abandoned and completely forgotten about by the two teenagers.

"So, you've decided to take the long way home? Eh, Sora?" Kairi asked, turning away from the fenced-off area to grin at the back of Sora's head.

The boy's smile disappeared instantly at the sound of Kairi's question. The tone she had spoken to him in did not make him feel as if he was in trouble, but he suspected that she was trying to find out why they weren't riding the shorter way. He froze on the saddle, having no idea how he was going to answer, for explaining to her the reason for a longer journey home would put her in the devestation he had been trying to avoid. "Um..."

"That's brilliant! We get a longer ride now!" Kairi was squealing in rapid growing excitement, thrilled that her horse ride was going to last for a further length of time than she had thought. She lowered her arm from the air, joined it with her other one by wrapping it around Sora's waist, then hugged the boy tighter with a happy giggle. "I'm gonna feel like a princess for even longer!"

The boy had been put into an enormous state of surprise by Kairi's unexpected increasing delight, but the embrace he was continuing to receive managed to turn his cheeks red. A smile rose back to his face, not only from how glad he was that he didn't have to explain about the church, but also due to how his decision was having further positive effect on the girl. The journey home would be as fantastic as it was supposed to be, with the adorable remarks and sounds from Kairi being more beautiful to listen to than any music he would hear on the radio in his mother's car.

"But you're have to remember how you steer a horse, Sora!" Kairi warned, continuing to giggle as she tilted her head to see the side of the boy's. "You're the driver, so you need to be going the right way! Or we'll never get home!"

Though a little embarrassed by Kairi reminding him of what he didn't know about horse riding, Sora managed to keep his smile as he looked to his side to meet her face. "But it's pretty hard to remember, Kairi! Using my left leg when I wanna go right and the other way round! I'm gonna forget about that by the time we get to the next junction!"

"Well, I'll tell you what then," Kairi said, unwrapping her arms from Sora's waist and placing her hands gently onto his shoulders, "every time we get to a junction, I'll signal to you with your shoulders which leg you have to use. If I squeeze your left shoulder, that means you gotta use your left leg. If I squeeze your right one, then you gotta do the same with your right. That'll help you guide Hime-Kotsu along the roads we gotta follow."

The blush which was still on Sora's face deepened, as the feeling of girl's hands on his shoulders felt so soft and relaxing. He was surprised by the way she was choosing to help him remember how to steer the horse, but he was very happy to go with it for the entire journey home. "Alright then, Kairi, thanks. That should definietly help me remember which leg I have to use - but will you be able to remember that it's left for right and right for left?"

"I'll remember that, Sora!" Kairi laughed, not convinced he was seriously implying _she _was the one who had trouble remembering the instructions Sugoshi had given him. "I won't have any trouble remembering that! It's you who has to. That's why I'm helping you out."

Sora chuckled, able to tell from the girl's response that she had detected his joke and was happy to have it spun onto him - as he knew it rightfuly had to be. He turned away from her and gazed down at the back of Hime-Kotsu's head, lessening his grip on the reins. "Keep going, Hime-Kotsu. We want the princess to enjoy her ride."

Her eyes once again on the brown spikes she was going to be facing for a good amount of time during her ride, Kairi smiled to herself upon hearing Sora call her a princess. The feeling she had during her horse ride when she was three was going to last all the way back to their home estate - but she was spending that moment thinking about how she wanted the boy to feel.

_You're more just a driver, Sora,_ she thought, wishing desperately she could say the words that were flowing though her head, but unable to bring herself to let a single one out. _And you're more than just someone who's on the same horse as me. You should be feeling like a prince, because that's what you are to me. It doesn't take a horse ride with you to prove that. You've been a prince to me every hour of every day, being as comitted to making me happy as a prince is to being a good king. You've been a king to me before for just one day - but for so many years since we've been little, you've been a wonderful prince to me._

Kairi let off a sigh, keeping it a low level so that Sora wouldn't hear it and start worrying about her, then looked out at the fields on their right as her thoughts continued to run through her head. _I just wish I could say you're MY prince..._

* * *

**Again, really sorry for the long length of this chapter, everything that happened in it was significant, and I don't think splitting into two would've worked. It turned out to have more emotions than I expected myself, as I didn't think of the part about Kairi talking about her grandmother until I had written the first couple of paragraphs. I decided to go ahead and use it, as not only would be able to naturally drive more emotions, but I also thought it would be nice to have a bit of (non-canon) history for Kairi, using a character who we only see in past events of Kingdom Hearts.**

**The next chapter will be much shorter than these latest ones have be. I know I've been writing far too long ones lately, but I'm gonna concentrate on keeping my next one a shorter length, hopefully close to those of the earlier chapters. The next chapter is to tell you about something that is to happen as the story now begins its path to the end.**


	52. Disappointing & Exciting News

**Alright. Don't ask me how this chapter ended up being almost as long as the last one, because I really don't know myself. Probably because my later chapters have been more detailed - but I really can't understand how this one became such a long length. I really thought it would be as short as the earlier ones. :S**

**Well, as long as it doesn't put you off reading, that's the main thing. :)**

* * *

Bleak, creeping darkness had filled the entire atmosphere of the islands.

The sun had only just finished sinking to hide behind the horizon, which was where the only amount of orange light it had given off remained as a thin line that was trying to last for as long as it could. Large, thick clouds had sailed slowly across the night sky, blanketing away the moon and all of the stars. They gave the entire world a less colourful appearence. The streetlamps had already been illuminated and were giving off some light, which was nowhere near as strong as what the indoor lamps were giving off inside most of the residents' houses on the main island. Sora's house was no exception, for the ceiling lamp which hung above the lounge brightened up every inch it could reach within the room.

What it was unable to brighten up was the mood of a depressed woman who had been sitting on the couch in her misery for most of the day, all on her own.

Lowering her hands - which had been covering up her face - Nikkou let off a broken sigh that filled the room. The soft crying she had been letting off had ended over an hour ago, but she was still suffering from her shattered heart which she had allowed to put herself through pain over her fear of losing her son. The moment she had walked through the front door of her house after returning from dropping Sora and Kairi off in the countyside, all she could do was take a look around the lounge and think of the countless memories her child had made through living with her for the last sixteen years of her life, before bursting into tears with the terrifying thought in her mind that he could die in five days. Nikkou had already once gone through the torturous suffering and agony of losing a member of her family that she loved when her husband had passed away. Having Sora in her life and focusing on becoming a good mother to him had helped her to recover a great deal from the pain caused by the loss of the man she had been married to. Losing them both, however, would be something she knew she could never get over. If Sora was to lose his life and leave her in her devastation, then having to say she was a widow who had lost her son would prevent the stabbing pain in her heart from ever healing.

Nikkou gave a sniffle and looked up with a miserable gaze towards the lounge window. Her frightening and mood-wrenching thoughts had made her forget how dark it had become outside (even though she had switched the lounge light on just after the sun had gone down). She was a little surprised by how late the night was obviously getting, and remembered that Sora and Kairi had said they were going to be walking home. Thinking it was too dark for them to be walking so many miles through the countryside until they arrived back at the estate, Nikkou decided she would pick them up herself. Believing they were still at the field where she had dropped them off that day, she wondered to herself how well their outing had gone as she pulled herself to her feet and picked her set of keys up from the coffee table. She managed to smile as she walked towards the front door, sure that spending a day with Kairi again would have made Sora love every minute of his time in the countryside. She just hoped he would also enjoy spending a bit time with his worrisome, over-protective mother.

After flipping the light switch on the wall to make the lounge go even darker than the outside world, Nikkou pulled the front door open. She was hit by a cold breeze from the night air, which caused her long, brunette hair to blow about a bit. Stepping out into the dark atmosphere, Nikkou pulled the door shut behind her and locked it with her house key. She turned around to look towards her car, getting off the doorstep and making her way towards the side of the vehicle. She intended to drive to the field where she had left her son and his best friend off at earlier, forgetting that Sora had told her they were planning to explore away from there. She had only just inserted her car key into the slot to unlock the doors - when an unusual nearby noise suddenly began to make its way into her ears, attracting her attention immediately.

It sounded like hooves clopping.

Thinking straightaway that a horse must be walking nearby, Nikkou turned her head quickly to look up the further end of the street, which was where the noise was coming from. Straightaway, she spotted the animal trotting slowly along the road, having just entered through the use of the T junction. The light given off by the street lamps allowed Nikkou to see it was a large and beautiful-looking white creature, although it was too far away from where she stood to allow whoever was riding it to be visible in her view. Not giving any thought to the riders, Nikkou just smiled as her green eyes followed the horse, waiting for it to trot past her driveway so that she could safely drive her car out.

The horse made its way slowly past the sleepy houses and parked cars, the sound of its hooves clopping against the tarmac filling the entire street. Nikkou remained where she was, watching as the four-legged creature became clearer into view - but as it drew closer to where she stood, a new sound started to fill the night air, joining the noise of the clopping. It did not fail to take Nikkou by surprise, and it also managed to make her freeze with sudden shock. It was the sound of happy laughter, and it was not just the fact it seemed to come from the riders of the horse (who sounded very much like two teenagers) which led to the stunned expressionon Nikkou's face being formed; one of the riders was laughing cheerfully in exactly the same way her son would since coming home after a year with a much deeper voice. The other rider - a girl - was letting off soft giggles that sounded completely identical to how the person who her son spent so much of his time with would giggle. What Nikkou was listening to that moment in her growing bafflement were two joy-filled sounds that she was used to hearing quite regularly - and they were both given off by the riders of the horse.

Shooting a confused frown towards the animal as it continued to trot along the tarmac, Nikkou walked along the sidewalk in the opposite direction the horse was going to try seeing the riders better. Despite how familar what she was hearing sounded, she did feel a little doubtful that what she was putting together in her mind really was happening - until the laughing stopped to be replaced by two shouts that were directed straight at her.

"Hey, Mom!"

"Hi, Nikkou!"

Nikkou stopped dead in her increasing shock over being greeted and adressed by the pair of voices she knew too well. Now believing what she had been imagining when she had first heard the laughter, she watched the horse with her expression of pure surprise as it stepped out into a section of the road lit up by one of the streetlamps. To the woman's amazement, her son was sitting on the back of the animal. He was gripping the reins tightly in one hand whilst waving cheerfully to her with the other. A huge smile was on his face which told Nikkou that Sora was not only enjoying the ride, but also that he was pleased to be seen by her on back of a horse. She could see that Kairi was sitting right behind him. The girl was waving to her as well, and the beaming yellow light from the streetlamp allowed the woman to see that her other hand was on Sora's shoulder. Having never seen Sora ride a horse in his life (nor had she thought he ever would), Nikkou's reaction to the new sight she was taking in now would be to go into her overprotective nature and order the teenagers to get back down onto the ground. What kept her from panicking for their safety was the black riding hats she noticed they were wearing. Just by having them on their heads, the two of them looked like proffessional riders - even though Sora looked like a very silly one with the spikes that were sticking out on each side of his head.

Chuckling, Nikkou waved back to the teenagers with a grin before folding her arms. The horse had just left behind the section of the road which was lit up by the streetlamp, but they close enough to allow her to see them clearly in the dark. She wasn't afraid that they would fall off and hurt themselves. Seeing them ride into the street told her they had obviously travelled safely home on horseback all the way from the countryside. Even if her son had never riden a horse before, he appeared to know clearly what he was doing. The wide smile on Nikkou's face was mostly created from how wonderful she thought it was to see Kairi joining Sora on the back of the animal for the ride.

Lowering her hand which she had used to wave to Nikkou, Kairi placed it gently back onto Sora's free shoulder. A strong gust of night air blew past them from the opposite direction, making her feel a bit cold, but did not affect how happy she had been for the whole journey she had just enjoyed. She took a look over her shoulder to see they had just ridden past her house, which was now behind then. Having expected Sora to lead Hime-Kotsu to take them all the way up to where he lived on the street - as he was doing now - she turned to gaze ahead again, lowering her head so that her chin was next to where her left hand was. "We're finally home, driver," she giggled.

In both surprise and delight, Sora could feel Kairi resting her chin onto his shoulder, some strands of her hair brushing lightly against his cheek. As a grin grew across his face over the returning thought of being able to make her feel comfortable with him, he took a glance towards the house which they were heading for before looking down at the back of the horse's narrow head. "You can stop here, Hime-Kotsu."

The elegant animal continued to trot tirelessly down the road, not understanding a word of Sora's instructions to her. She didn't realize that the long walk she was enjoying was meant to be over, and she intended to continue going further along the island with the two humans on her back.

"Sora!" Kairi called, lifting her head off the boy's shoulder and looking up towards him with a small frown. "That isn't how you stop a horse! Sugoshi told you back at the stables how you do that!"

Realizing he couldn't remember the important instruction which Sugoshi had given him, Sora shot his head up urgently towards his house. uUsure if he was going to be able to stop Hime-Kotsu outside of it, he quickly turned to look over his shoulder at Kairi. The embarassment that had sprung into his expression became visible to her. "I've forgotten how," he confessed. "Do you know how I stop her, Kairi? Can you remember?"

"Of course I can! I've had to remember absolutely everything you forgot as soon as we started moving!" Kairi giggled with a shake of her head. "You need to pull the reins towards you, Sora. I can't believe you're depending on your passenger to tell you that when you're the one who's driving!"

"Hey! I can't be expected to remember that much! This is my first time being on the back of a horse, never mind driving one!" Sora laughed, knowing she was just teasing him, but still feeling the need to defend himself. After glancing again towards his house to see they were just passing the front garden wall (as well as noticing his mother was still gazing up at them in her amazement), he gently pulled back on the reins. "I still managed to get you home, didn't I, Princess?"

Continuing to let off giggles - which were now made from what Sora had called her again - Kairi leaned sideways to gaze happily past him as Hime-Kotsu came to a stop outside of the boy's house before straightening to hugd him tightly around his torso. "That's right, Sora; you got me home," she grinned softly. "And you did that by taking me on a wonderful journey which I'll never forget. Thanks for taking me all across the island yet again. I'd have never been able to feel like a princess if you weren't there with me."

Sora's cheeks turned deep red from the embrace, then a smile made its way onto his face from the words she had used to describe how riding on horseback with him had made her feel. He was delighted to hear it was something that would remain in her memory forever, especially since she had told him it wouldn't have been the same for her without him. Sora could not understand how she wouldn't have been able to feel like a princess if she had been on the back of Hime-Kotsu without him, but he felt very happy to know his best friend had loved having him with her. Riding the horse nearly all the way across the island had been fantastic for him as well, and all purely because he'd had the honour of taking Kairi with him.

"Well, this is a surprise! I know you said you were going to be making your own way home, but I thought you two were gonna be walking! I didn't think you meant you'd be having this poor fella to carry you both all the way back here!"

Hearing the voice of the boy's mother making fun of them, Kairi let go of Sora as she turned to look down with her grin towards where Nikkou was. The woman had walked out through the entrance of her driveway, and was just stepping off the sidewalk to take a few paces along the road so as to admire Hime-Kotsu more easily. She stood with an awed smile before the animal, astounded by her beauty and the fact her son had ridden her home with the girl he cared about.

As Sora carefully kicked out in an effort to shake the stirrups off his boots without striking Hime-Kotsu with them, Kairi just lifted her right leg to dangle it next to her left one on the left side of the horse, then pushed herself off the saddle to standing with her feet back on the solid ground. Unclipping the strap beneath her chin that held her riding hat into place, she removed the leather helmet from her head and ran a hand through her hair to make sure it was smooth, then went over to where Nikkou was sharing fixed gazes with the animal. "Well, when we met the guy who owns her out in the countryside, he said he _wanted _us to ride her back up here," she explained. "He said that she enjoys going for really long walks, so she hopefully loved walking all the way up here as much as we loved riding on the back of her."

"Oh, so the person who owns her let you ride her here?" Nikkou exclaimed, turning to face Kairi as she wondered to herself what it must have looked like to see her travelling on horseback through the contryside with Sora in front. "But how's he gonna get her back? Is he coming to collect her? Because I don't know if we'll be able to keep her from wandering off for long."

"He said he'd be following us in his truck." Kairi looked up towards the T Junction at the end of the street which they had used to ride through. There were no heavy sounds in the night air of vehicles' engines running, and she realized she had no idea how far away from them Sugosh possibly was. "We didn't notice him driving after us on the way back here; we didn't think to look behind us to check if he was following us okay. I hope we haven't made him lose track of us and left him behind at a junction or something."

Nikkow took a blank gaze in the direction where Kairi was looking, but smiled as she silently dismissed the frets going through the girl's head, turning to shine her eyes at the face of Hime-Kotsu again. "I'm sure he'll be able to find his horse okay. Has he given her a name at all?"

"Hime-Kotsu!" Kairi answered, facing Nikkou again with a much brighter expression and a wider smile than before.

Grinning upon learning the name of the animal (despite having no idea what it meant), Nikkou took a few steps forward to be standing closer to Hime-Kotsu. She began to raise a hand in the intention of smoothing her velvet, furry head, but hesitated as the worrying thought of being bitten ran through her mind. It made her feel nervous, so she just stood with her hand raised to be level with her shoulder, facing Hime-Kotsu with an expression of slight fear.

"It's alright, Mom, she won't hurt you," assured Sora, who had just jumped down off the back of the Camargue horse after finally freeing his shoes from the stirrups. Taking a few steps along the tarmac, he stood next to Kairi and shot a grin at his mother, taking his riding hat off his head. He had sensed her fear which he had gone through himself when the girl had told him to fuss over the Saddlebreds, and he wanted her to know that Hime-Kotsu was friendly instead of vicious. "Just give a good stratch behind her ears."

After glancing at her son, Nikkou took another gaze up at Hime-Kotsu, deciding to do what Sora had adviced. With some confidence she had just built up, she stretched her arm upwards to reach behind the horse's right ear, placing her fingertips on the section of fur to scratch it cautiously. Almost immediately, what she had begun to do to led some happy noises escaping from Hime-Kotsu, sounding very alike to how she had responded when Sora made been stratching her ears. She lowered her head down beside the feet of Nikkou, unaware of the amount of surprise she had put the woman in.

"You've got it, Mom! She really loves that!" Sora exclaimed encouragingly, giving his head a good stratch the get rid of the itches that had built up from having his hair covered by the riding hat. He - along with Kairi - had noticed the sudden change of expression upon his mother's face, and he knew it was due to her discovery of how harmless Hime-Kotsu was. He was sure now she would realize the animal was not something to be afraid of. What had surprised him was that she hadn't panicked as soon as she had seen him and the girl on her back. He had half-expected her to order them to get off, but the fact that she hadn't made him wonder to himself if she was beginning to see her over-protective nature for what it was not, which was needed.

Nikkou was still stratching behind Hime-Kotu's ear, having lowered her hand down the animal's head, and a smile had risen to her face over her realization that she wasn't going to get bitten at all. "She's really nice," she commented, looking up to face the two teenagers. "How did your picnic go, by the way?"

"It was fantastic!" Kairi cheered happily, the tone of her voice filling with more and more joy each time she spoke. "I loved getting to eat all that lovely food we had in the party out in the middle of the countryside! We had a really wonderful time on the top of that field!"

"I bet the view from the top of the cliff was fabulous up there."

"It was amazing! You wouldn't believe how beautiful the sea looked all the way at the bottom!" All of Kairi's words were emphasized to make clear to Nikkou how wonderfully their day had gone. "It was definately the nicest spot to have our picnic!"

Stratching Hime-Kotsu's other ear, Nikkou wondered silently to herself of what it might have been like to see her son and Kairi spending a lovely time together in the countryside. She had seen how happy the girl had made him when she had arranged his surprised birthday party, and joining them on the hot air balloon ride had allowed her to see how much fun they must have been having latety on all the outings Sora had taken her on. She wished, however, that she could get an accurate image of the trips and adventures they had been having without her, for what Sora had told her about them over the days made them sound like they been very magical for the two of them. She had been fortunate enough to see them enjoying the very end of the horse ride they had shared, and it was an image which Nikkou had decided she would hold in her mind forever due to how adorable it had been.

The air was suddenly filled with a nearby rumble of a vehicle's engine, thundering from the far end of the street. All taking the same guess, the three turned their heads towards where they could hear the noise becoming louder. The dark outline of a truck drove into view, its right signal light flashing a tiny amber dot as it turned into the street. Rolling right behind it was a large box on tyres. The vehicle's dark green colour was hardly revealed at all by the light of the streetlamps, but Sora and Kairi could tell it was Sugoshi's straightaway, and even Nikkou was able to tell by the horsebox it towed behind that someone to do with the horse had arrived. With his riding hat in his left hand, Sora reached up with his right one to take hold of one of Hime-Kotsu's reins, then they all stepped together off the road and onto the sidewalk. They watched as the truck drove slowly past the parked cars and houses to reach where they stood, Sugoshi nowhere to be seen within the darkness inside the cab.

The truck pulled up to stop just beyond the entrance to the driveway, allowing the teenagers to noticed for the first time that the side of the horsebox had an image of a smiling cartoon horse. As the noise of the engine ceased the moment it was switched off, Kairi smiled softly. "That's the guy who owns Hime-Kotsu," she told Nikkou.

"Sugoshi," Sora gave his name. "He's a really nice man, Mom."

The door to the driver's seat of the truck could be heard opening. As soon as Sugoshi emerged from the right side of the vehicle, allowing the door to swing shut, Nikkou winced in slight horror by what she saw. No matter how dark the night was, the light from the nearest streetlamp was stil enough to reveal to her how filthy the man's clothes were. She was rather appalled by his untidy appearence, but he was completely clueless to this as he turned in their direction.

He grinned widely at Hime-Kotsu, happy to see her. "Hey, did you enjoy your long walk, girl?"

"We hope she did," Kairi said. "_We _loved every minute of riding her back here. Thanks again for letting us."

Sugoshi turned towards her and let off a hearty chuckle. "You know, you said that you two live a really long way away - but I didn't think you were gonna have us travel this far! I followed you two riding up to the closer end of the island - and then you turned around and had us go all the way up here. I'm lucky I didn't nearly run out of gas."

"Oh, sorry about that," Kairi apologised uncomfortably, knowing Sugoshi was talking about Sora's desicion to ride the long way home by finding the bridge near the field where they landed in the hot air balloon and following the road they had used the night before to return home. "We didn't think about that distance. Was it too far for Hime-Kotsu to walk?"

"I told you, Kairi; she _loves _taking long walks," Sugoshi laughed, stepping around the front of his truck to be standing closer to where the three humans were with his horse. Smiling up at Hime-Kotsu, he studied her expression - which remained the same as it had been before she had left the field. "She's not looking a bit tired at all. I bet she loved taking all the way up to this nice end of the island. I think she's ready for some refuelling now."

Nikkou forced herself to smile. "So you're Sugoshi then?"

The horse-keeper quickly faced her upon hearing her say his name. "That's right! The kids told me about you, did they?" he asked, returning a smile that was genuine as he pointed from Sora to Kairi. "Do either of them belong to you?"

"Sora," Nikkou answered, placing a hand onto her son's shoulder in pride.

Nodding at them as his smile grew into a grin, Sugoshi turned away from them as he approached the cargo area of his truck. Sora noticed for the first time that it was carrying some large items, and he remembered Sugoshi saying back at the stables it was full hay and water. He guessed that the dirty-clothed man was about to feed his horse - right in front of their area of the street. He was unsure if his mother would be happy about it. He could tell that she was not impressed with how the man did not clean himself before driving over to be in her presense, which he secretly found funny.

Sugoshi heaved with some difficulty a large square-shaped hay bale out of the back of his truck. He was holding it by two cords that were tied around an end each. Carrying it over to where his horse stood with the three onlooking street residents on the sidewalk, he bent over to place the bale down before her front hooves, untying the cords from it before straightening back up. "There you go, girl," he said to her with the same wide grin. "Enjoy!"

Sora released the reins he had gripped in his hand to lead Hime-Kotsu off the road, allowing the horse to lower her head to as to get her mouth close to the bale. She sniffed at it softly, seemly making sure her master had brought a fresh one, then bit into one of the edges of the large shape of dried up grass. The sight of watching her begin to eat brought smiles to the two teenagers faces, as she had worked hard enough travelling the entire distance they had made her walk. They both felt she definitely deserved a good bit of food to enjoy and help regain her energy. Nikkou was keeping the same forced smile on her face as she gazed down at the animal, but as Hime-Kotsu raised her head up, she let a few strands of hay fall from the amount in her mouth and onto the sidewalk. The woman was irritatedly wondering if Sugoshi was going to leave them with a mess for her to clean up.

Remembering at that moment she still had the riding helmet in her hand, Kairi held it out towards Sugoshi. "Here's your hat back."

"Oh, thanks, Kairi, Sugoshi said, turning towards the girl and taking the leather hat from her. He looked towards Sora to see that the boy was also holding out the leather hard hat which he had worn out towards him. As he accepted it from him, Sugoshi's eyes suddenly widened as he shot a wide smile at Sora. "By the way! I have something which I think belongs to either one of you two!"

Sora's ears perked up in surprise by what Sugoshi had told them - which didn't make a lot of sense to him. He knew he and Kairi hadn't brought anything with them to the stables, nor had either of them handed anything to horsekeeper. He couldn't understand how he would come to have something which he or Kairi perhaps owned. He shot a baffled frown at the man, wondering what he was going to ask to two of them to claim. "You do?"

"What's that then, Sugoshi?" Kairi asked curiously. She was just as puzzled as Sora by the strange-sounding prediction Sugoshi had made, as he hadn't known them long enough to have an idea of what they owned. She watched as he walked with high confidence back towards the rear of his truck, opened the door to the passenger seat to place the two riding hats inside. Although she could tell he was about to lift something else out which would be for them to see, she couldn't think of anything it was likely to be which would make them instantly recognise as something belonging to them.

After pushing the door to his truck shut, Sugoshi began to retrieve something else from the cargo area. The deep darkness caused whatever it was to be difficult for the teenagers to recognise it or even have an idea what it was. Once it was clear of the wooden frame, he turned around to allow them to see him handle it in front of him, leading them to take in a dark outline of its box-like shape. As he stepped forward to be standing closer to where Sora and Kairi were observing it from, their pairs of eyes suddenly widened together from the sight of the item becoming clearer - as did the smile which grew across Sugoshi's face. "Is this yours?" he asked.

"The basket!" Sora exclaimed loudly, his expression filling up with increasing astoundment as he recognised the wicker container which he had used to carry everything for the picnic. He stepped onto the road to be standing right in front of Sugoshi, taking a stunned look at the item he had forgotten bring back from the countryside before before lifting his head upwards to face the horse keeper. "Yeah! That's ours!"

"You left the basket behind, Sora?" Nikkou fussed, letting off a slight chuckle over how forgetful her son had obviously been during his time spent with the girl. She placed her hands onto her hips while Kairi gave a small smile down towards the basket which she realized had been blanked completely from their minds.

"I remember picking it up from the field we were in..." Sora frowned frustratedly as he looked down at the basket again, trying to remember how he almost ended up losing it. No matter how hard he replayed the day through his head, he found he couldn't pick out the moment where it had stopped joining him and Kairi on their travels. "I can't remember what I did with it after that."

Sugoshi laughed dryly, handing the basket over to the boy. "You left it outside my horse pen. I spotted it as I was driving out after you two, and I thought it must belong to you. I'm sure you'd have left it even if you brought it to the stables, 'cause you wouldn't have been able to hold it while riding Hime-Kotsu."

"You'd better put that back in the kitchen then, Sora," Nikkou suggested, taking her set of keys out from her pocket with a smirk. "You spent nearly all morning in there packing it, and you couldn't even bring home yourself!"

With the basket now back in his hands, Sora turned around and stepped back onto the sidewalk. Approaching his mother, he slid the wicker container under his lift arm so that he could take the keys from her to unlock the door - but before he even set a foot on the driveway, he turned his head slowly to shoot a sorrowful gaze in Kairi's direction. She was grinning softly, watching Hime-Kotsu chewing her way through the pile of hay which the bale had changed into, and the sight of how happy she clearly was made him feel even more regretful for what he needed to tell her. The day had turned out be even more wonderful than he had planned - but now that the night had taken over the islands and they were back from the countyside, he knew it was now time to bring around the moment he had been dreading; when he would have to inform Kairi of some news that would hopefully not leave her in disappointment for long.

"Kairi?" he called her in a shaky voice, forcing on a brave smile which he hoped would hide out the nervousness he was going through. "D'you wanna come in for a bit?"

The girl looked up with her shining eyes from the horse to her best friend, her grin remaining on her face. She was in such joy over how much Sora had done throughout the day to make it so special for her, she wasn't able to sense anything wrong from the smile he was giving her. Having no idea she was about to receive some news he was worrying about telling her, she nodded her head eagerly at him. "Alright, Sora."

Sora's smile filled with more sadness, which he tried to hide from her as he turned away to walk along the driveway. Passing his mother's parked car, he approached the front door. Kairi left behind Hime-Kotsu with Nikkou and Sugoshi to go cheerfully after the boy. She winced slightly as a heavy breeze blew at her, its icy temperature causing her cheeks to turn pink. Not bothered in the slightest by how cold the night had become, she just stood behind Sora, who was up on the doorstep. With her sweet smile, she watched him use the house key to unlock the door - unable to notice that his arm had become a bit shaky.

Once Sora was able to let himself into to the house, he entered through the doorway and flipped the light switch on the wall. Pocketing the set of keys, he was able to use both his hands again to carry the picnic basket towards the kitchen. Kairi followed him into the lounge and, after spending over an hour in the open air of the countryside with no streetlamps to light their way, found that she was embracing the strong light that came from the ceiling lamp above her. She let the door swing shut behind her, then noticed Sora - still with his back to her - making his way slowly into the kitchen. The grin on her face grew even wider as she walked hurried across the wooden floor to join him.

As soon as she reached the kitchen entrance, Kairi saw that Sora had dropped the picnic basket beside him and was opening the door to one of the cupboards. She went into the room and stood behind the boy, waiting happily for him to take notice of her. He was lifting the basket from the floor to place it inside the cupboard. Once it was sitting on the white, wooden base, he pushed the door shut with an arm that continued to tremble. He was aware that Kairi was in the kitchen with him, and with the moment where he would have to tell her something which what he was afraid would upset her for a bit now here, his heart was tensing up painfully from his fear.

Trying to keep his expression as calm as it could look, he turned nervously around to face Kairi - only to be given a shock and surprise as she leapt forward, throwing her arms tightly around him.

"Are you okay, Kairi?" Sora asked urgently, gazing down at her with a newly-formed stunned look on his face. He was worried that she was only hugging him because there was possibly something troubling her. Her face was buried in his shoulder, so he couldn't tell that moment how she was feeling - much to his stress that was building up even further.

Kairi looked up to be gazing softly into the eyes of the boy she loved, nodding her head slowly with the same sparkling grin. "I wanted to thank you for everything you've done to make today so wonderful for me."

A little surprised by what she had just told him, Sora blinked and gave her a blank stare for a few seconds, then finally shot her a wide smile as he returned the hug. "You already thanked me outside, Kairi," he reminded her.

"I know!" Kairi giggled happily. "But I wanted to thank you again! And I felt cold outside as well, so I wanted a hug!"

Sora let off a light chuckle as he reached up with one hand to gently stroke her hair. For that very moment, he deliberatly delayed telling Kairi what she needed to know for a bit longer. Having the girl in his arms made him just want to cherish the happiness which Kairi was not only going through, but was succeeding to bring back to him. The two of them had had yet another fantastic day together. Sharing a picnic on the top of a high cliff and getting a chance to see some horses before riding home on the back of one had left them in the amount of joy Sora had been hoping to bring to Kairi. They were now spending a few quiet seconds holding each other in their arms. Any moment where Kairi would hug him whilst feeling cheery was always very special to Sora (with him having no idea that a hug from him was just as special to Kairi, too), so he found he couldn't bring himself to say anything for however long it would last.

The two best friends kept their arms around each other in silence for almost an entire minute, then Kairi hesitantly pulled herself away from her prince. His face falling, Sora gazed at her in returning misery he tried to hide for just a few seconds more. His heart thundering against his chest while his fear of having to take away the smile she was still giving him grew worse. He wished so badly that he could just kiss the beautiful face before him, but he was going to have use his lips to speak to her instead; telling her something that would nowhere near as pleasent as what he had longed to do for many years.

"Kairi..." He managed to put together the first question within his voice so he could begin his nerve-wreaking confession. "Have you enjoyed the past few days we've spent together?"

Kairi's smile was briefly driven away by the boy's question which had taken her aback by how strange it sounded, but she managed to beam again as she placed a hand onto his shoulder to give it a light squeeze. "Of course I have, Sora. I've adored _everything_ I've done with you. I really hope you know how much I appreciate all you've done just to make me happy. You've done that every single time!"

Sora found himself able to bring a smile back for the girl, though it barely contained any of the happiness he'd been going through a few moments ago from the hug. The question he had just asked Kairi was one which had been on his mind since the morning, despite how she had always felt each time a day that had spent together over the past nine days had ended. He was relieved by the way she had answered. She had told what he had hoped to hear, which had been that the days out and activities he had planned were loved so much by her.

"I'm glad," he murmured, lowering his eyes full of gloominess to look down at his large boots.

Now sensing that something was wrong with him, Kairi shot Sora an expression of shock and horror, her smile disappearing in an instant. Going into a worrying state over his sudden change of mood, despite having no idea what was causing it, she took her hand off his shoulder and placed it gently onto his cheek, lifting his head slightly to have him looking into her face full of concern. "Sora? What's the matter? Are you alright?"

Sora could only frown miserably as he dropped his eyes to his boots again, finding for the first time in his life that facing Kairi was proving to be a challenge. He knew it was only due to having to tell her what his mother had instructed to inform her of that morning, but not even what he was going to add himself was able to make letting it out at last any easier.

"Sora?" Kairi whispered in a small voice, placing her free hand onto his other cheek and lifting his head up again to keep him from hiding his face from her. She was growing even more upset by how he had suddenly fallen into depression, and she felt tears beginning to build up in her eyes, which she quickly blinked the back to stop herself from crying in front of Sora. "Please tell me what's wrong. Please."

Lowering his eyes to keep himself from looking at the girl yet again, Sora let off a deep, broken sigh. "I can't take you out for the rest of the days this week."

The words Sora had just softly yet sadly admitted to her caused Kairi's eyes to widen. She stepped backwards and removed her hands from his cheeks, giving him a look that contained even more horror than before. What he had said to her was almost impossible to believe, for she had been expecting a whole fortnight of spending time with the boy she loved. He had promised to her on the heartbreaking evening at the beach that he would spend what would perhaps be the remaining days of his life making her happy, and he had just stood there and allowed to believe it. She was already devestated that the boy she was so deeply in love with would perhaps be taken from her in no more than five days - but now he was breaking his promise to her, which had led her heart to be ripped into even more shreads that moment.

"Kairi?" Sora was gazing up at her again, still feeling afraid, although now by the reaction she was giving to what he had told her. It was even more upsetting than anything he had expected, and the fact that she wasn't saying a word in response made it even more horrible for him to bare. "I'm... I'm really sorry... I..."

Realizing she still had her arms in the air from when she had lifted them to place her hands on Sora's cheeks, Kairi dropped them to her sides before lowering her head as she closed her teary eyes. She was trying to remind herself that she had already spent nine wonderful days with the boy before her - but the promise he had made to spend an entire fortnight with her had meant so much to her. She had really allowed herself to believe it, and it had turned out to be untrue all along. "Just tell me... where you're going tomorrow..."

"I have to go out with Mom," Sora answered, finding the story of the following day he had been keeping from the girl was becoming even more difficult to tell as he went along it. "She wants me to spend a bit of time with her, so she's arranged for us to go to some places together."

Kairi raised her head as her eyes shot open, locking onto Sora, the tears they had been trying to keep under control now escaping and running down her cheeks. She was feeling very angry with herself, realizing she was being selfish. She was not the only one who loved the boy and had a high chance of losing him. He had been in Nikkou's life far longer than he had been in hers, and the woman had brought him up all through his life, loving him since before they had even even known the girl existed. Nikkou would be as lost and broken as she would be if her son was to lose his life, so Kairi knew that he had to spend what would perhaps be the last of his time being alive with his mother, no matter if he had promised to do that with her. She was surprised that he had been allowed to spend all of the past nine days with her, for even though Nikkou had been present with them during a few of them, she had kept her son away from her for most of them, leaving his mother to spend many of his final possible days on her own.

"Do you understand that, Kairi?" Sora asked hopefully, growing even more upset by the sight of the girl he loved in tears, but too afraid that she hated him to attempt to dry them away.

A small heartbroken smile finding its way onto her face, Kairi nodded slowly at Sora, then suddenly charged at him to throw her arms around him once again, not noticed how much she had shocked him as she cried into his shoulder. "Just... have a really nice day with your mom tomorrow..." she wept. "The two of you really need to spend some together without me."

Sora frowned in response to the last two words Kairi had used, for she was making herself sound like she would be getting in the way of a day to spend with his mother, which he really wished she could join them on. Putting his arms around her to give her a comforting tight hug, he reached up with one hand to run it slowly through her hair again, feeling her fresh new tears leak onto the same spot on his shoulder that had picked up a lot when they had been at the stables.

"Enjoy yourself, Sora," Kairi sniffed, revealing her face as she lifted her head back up to show her teary smile to the boy. "Have a really lovely day with your mom."

Sora could feel his heart aching as he placed a hands onto the rosy red cheeks of the crying girl, using his thumbs to carefully brush away her tears. "I'll try... and then I'll have a really lovely _night_ with you, Kairi."

Kairi's sad smile was erased by the last statement Sora made, which caused her face to fill with disbelief; it didn't make a lot of sense to her, for it seemed to go completely against everything he had just made clear. "Huh? What d'you mean, Sora? You just said you couldn't take me out tomorrow."

"I actually said I couldn't take you out during the _day_," Sora corrected her. A grin managed to find its way onto his face, for he was now able to tell Kairi the piece of his news which he hoped would change the disappointment he had regretfully put her through back into excitement. "So we're gonna have to wait until tomorrow _night _before we can spend any time together."

The tears Kairi had been letting off finally stopped leaking from her eyes, which widened as they began to shine with hope. "You mean like when we went out to Night Sky together? You can take me out that time?"

Keeping his hands on Kairi's cheeks, Sora shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Kairi, but it won't be that time. Mom and I probably won't be back until it's very late, and she'll want us to go on up to bed. I'll have to wait a little while until she's dropped off to sleep - then I'll finally be able to leave my house to pick you up."

"She'll let you go out that late?" Kairi frowned, finding the idea of allowing Sora to go out in the very late hours of the night did not sound like Nikkou at all.

"No, she won't!" Sora chuckled lightly, shaking his head again. "That's why I have to wait until she's asleep, Kairi! That way, she won't be able to stop me from going out to make you happy again!"

As she took in the boy's serious words, Kairi's eyes widened again as she realized in horror what they meant. "No!" she cried, shaking her head frantically whilst shooting a panic-striken expression at the boy. "No, Sora! I'm not gonna let you sneak out of your house late at night and risk getting into trouble for me!"

"Hey, I won't!" Sora said loudly, a little shocked by how Kairi was reacting to his plan, but knowing at the same time he should have at least expected it a little. "I won't get into trouble. Mom will-"

"Catch you before you even get to the front door!" Kairi interrupted in her high tone that was full of desperation. "You _will _get into trouble, Sora! And you won't be able to take me out! Please don't do this! I don't want to get you-"

"You won't get me into trouble, Kairi," Sora assured her softly, using his thumbs to gently caress her cheeks, which instantly stopped the way she was shaking her head wildly. "I'll be able to get out of the house without waking Mom. She's a very heavy sleeper, and the spending a whole day out with me tomorrow is probably gonna tire her out even more. She won't be able to hear me going down the stairs and out through the front door, and when she wakes up tomorrow, she'll find me in my bed and won't even know I've been out of the house during the night. Besides..." He let off a laugh before speaking in a voice that sounded like it contained false pride. "I've travelled to many worlds which I've brought peace to, I've fought Heartless and kept my friends safe from danger _and _I managed to beat Xemnas - all with the help of Donald, Goofy and Riku, of course. So if I can do all that, sneaking out of my house during the night without waking Mom will be easy."

Kairi stared uneasily up at the boy in her growing worry about him, having not being fed enough assurance to think his idea would work. "But ... you need to sleep, Sora."

"I _will_ sleep, Kairi," Sora told her, taking his own turn to be disappointed now as he shot the girl downhearted look. "I'm not gonna be able to take you out for really long hours, like I've done during the daytime. I'd realy like to do that, of course, but then I won't be able to stay awake day, and that would make Mom realize I haven't been sleeping during the nights. I'm only gonna be able to take you out for about a couple of hours. I'm sorry I can't more time than that with you during the nights - but I'm definitely gonna use that time to make you happy and keep my promise to you."

All that Sora had told her now was able to make Kairi raise the corners of her mouth into a smile of new happiness. She realized all he was trying to do was keep his solemn promise from being broken, which she had just wrongfully believed had been broken. The serious words he had spoken to her - which she knew he meant with all his large heart - emotionally moved her, causing her cheeks to turn an even deeper shade of pink. The confidence she lacked about him being able to avoid getting caught by Nikkou while trying to sneak out of his house to meet her was now forming into existance. She wasn't disappointed that he wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her during the nights as he had during the days. She was just grateful that he was still juat as willing to continue making her happy, which he was succeeding to do that moment.

Grinning widely up at Sora, Kairi threw her arms around him again to give him another tight hug. "Thank you, Sora! I know you'll make me happy! Everything you do for me makes me happy! Just make sure you enjoy yourself as well when you're out with your mom tomorrow. And don't worry about not able to take me out for long, 'cause I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it!"

Taken by surprise by the sudden embrace from Kairi, Sora smiled softly at the princess, returning the hug and reaching up to stroke her hair once again. "It's alright, Kairi," he whispered into her ear. "I just hope you'll be okay while I'm out all day tomorrow. As soon as I arrive at your house tomorrow, I'll be taking you straight out so that you can have a very happy night out."

Kairi wasn't even thinking about how she was going to make the following day pass by. The only thoughts which were running through her head were ones of going somewere on the islands, late at night, with the boy she loved. It sounded as magical to her as the horse ride he had taken her on had been. Her heart was beating incredibly fast from having Sora whisper in her ear, which she couldn't help but find it felt very romantic - though she was sure, at the same time, that was not how he meant to make it seem like. She still felt very happy, however, from being assured he would keep his promise and sharing a hug with him. She just wished that she could give him a kiss she had wanted him to have from her for so long.

The quietness of the house was broken as the front door could be heard being pushed open, and the teenagers urgently broke up their embrace the moment they heard Nikkou's voice call to them from the lounge. "Sora? Kairi? Sugoshi is going now! Are you gonna come say goodbye to him?"

Sora and Kairi stared at each other with blank faces for a few seconds, then turned their attention to the kitchen doorway. They hurried out into the main room, where they saw the boy's mother standing beside the front door, which she was holding open. A bit of the cold night air was flowing into the lounge. Noticing the teenagers making their way to where she was standing, Nikkou raised a hand and gestured towards herself for them to join her before stepping out of the house and back into the night atmosphere. The door was about to swung shut, but Sora managed to catch it and held it open. He stepped sideways with a grin to allow Kairi to pass him.

After nodding with a smile up at the boy before making her way past him and out onto the doorstep, Kairi tredded along the driveway to join Nikkou onto the sidewalk. Her eyes were already watching what was happening on the road; Sugoshi was leading Hime-Kotsu by her reins to the back of the horse box, which had its door pulled down to form a ramp that would allow the animal to trot inside easily. The horse keeper was about to guide the Carmague horse into the large, white trailer when he noticed that Kairi was standing nearby again.

"Come to see Hime-Kotsu off, have you, Kairi?" Sugoshi grinned, releasing the reins out of one of his hands so that he was able to wave to the girl.

Nodding with a giggle, Kairi give a small wave back which was more directed at the horse than it was at her owner. "Bye bye, Hime-Kotsu! Thanks for taking us home!"

As if understanding what Kairi was shouting to her, Hime-Kotsu turned her large head towards where the yells directed at her were coming from on the sidewalk. She saw that the girl who was calling to her was waving her hand with a smile, and what she also noticed was the boy walking down the driveway to stand right next to his shorter human friend. With her enormous eyes, the Carmague horse stared silently at them for a final time, then felt a tug from Sugoshi on the reins around her head which drove her to trot up the ramp before her to enter the even darker atmosphere of the horse box.

Now happy that Hime-Kotsu was ready for travelling back to the stables, Sugoshi left his horse inside the enclosed trailer, stepping down the ramp to walk back onto the tarmac. Turning around, he bent his knees to lift up the ramp, straightening up to push it back over the open space of the horse box so it would cover it completely by serving as a door once again. A metal latch above the very middle of the doorway kept it locked securely in place. Hime-Kotsu would be safe while being carried along the roads leading to the countryside, and Sugoshi was certain that when he would open the door back up outside the stables, he would find his beloved horse lying on the floor of the horsebox, fast asleep.

As he took a few steps backwards, Sugoshi turned towards the three resdients of the street he was about to leave behind, smiling at them and raising a hand to wave. "So long, Sora! Bye, Kairi! Thanks for giving Hime-Kotsu her daily walk!"

Sora and Kairi shouted their cheerful goodbyes to Sugoshi, waving back to him as they watched him make his way over towards the car of his truck. They were both too busy distracted by him - waving and making their calls be heard - to notice that Nikkou was not making any effort to bid him farewell. She was looking down grimly at the mess of leftover straw strands which Sugoshi and Hime-Kotsu had left on the section of the sidewalk outside her house. As she had half expected, the man in filthy clothes had not bothered to clean up the remains of his horse's food, leaving her to do the annoying task herself.

With one last wave to the two teenagers, Sugoshi walked around the front of hs truck to reach the driver's seat and pulled it open. He disappeared into the cab, shutting the door firmly as soon as he was in the seat. He had left his headlights on, letting them continue to shoot their white beams out onto the road ahead of him. The truck burst into ignition as soon as he had used his keys to start it up. Sora and Kairi lowered their hands as they watched the vehicle just sitting on the road as it made its rumbling sounds, then they turned their heads at the same time the moment it began to drive towards the end of the street, the horsebox that held Hime-Kotsu trailing behind. By the time it reached the junction, only the red tail lights of the large trailer could be seen easily. After a pause which Sugoshi had taken to check both ways, the truck drove out of the street and to its left, disappearing completely from sight with the horsebox, its engine to be heard for only a few more seconds.

After taking a glance up at Sora with a soft smile on her face, Kairi turned towards Nikkou, taking a few steps along the sidewalk with her arm stretched and pointing out to her house. "I'd better get going now then."

"Oh, I'll walk you home, Kairi," Sora said, walking quickly to be standing alongside her before looking over his shoulder at his mother. "I won't be long, Mom."

"Alright, Sora," Nikkou chuckled. She wasn't taking her son's words seriously, as she knew any time he would spend with the girl was likely to last for quite a length. Shooting a grin at Kairi, she raised a hand to wave to her. "Goodnight, Kairi."

"Goodnight, Nikkou!" Kairi was calling back to her in a loud voice, grinning widely in return and waving her hand wildly. As she gazed towards the woman whilst walking away from her with Sora, she thought to herself of how generous she had been to let her so much spend time with her son, as well as how she deserved to have her own day out with him. "Thanks for driving me out to the countryside!"

Nikkou smiled softly as she lowered her hand, watching Kairi turn her head away from her as she continued walking down the sidewalk with her son. It had been amazing for her to see them riding together on the back of a horse - but she found the simple sight of them strolling alongside each other to be just as sweet as well. She stood where she was, watching them make their way through the darkness, until they had past the first streetlamp from her house. Turning around, Nikkou paced along the driveway to her front door - and stole one last quick glance at the pair before letting herself into the house.

Sora's ears picked up the sound of the door slamming shut, and he immeadialty took an urgent look over his shoulder to make sure his mother had disappeared from view before turning to face Kairi. "Alright, Kairi. So I'll come over to your house tomorrow night to take you out, right when Mom is asleep and I'm able to sneak out of the house."

Kairi's eyes raised to meet Sora's, full of seriousness that she was using to warn him before speaking. "Alright, Sora," she answered. "But make sure you don't wake your mom, because I don't want to get you into trouble. If you get caught, then there's no way you're gonna be able to take me out."

"Which is the exact reason why I'll be making sure not to get caught!" Sora laughed. He glanced to his right to see they had reached Kairi's house, then stopped to stand outside the gateway. He turned to the girl with the worried expression that was just beginning to form onto his face. "Are you gonna be okay on your own tomorrow? I feel terrible just leaving you be all by yours-"

"Sora, I'll be fine," Kairi interrupted calmly, putting her arms around the boy with a small, sweet smile and rubbing his back gently in an effort to keep him from panicking about her. "I'll probably be spending a couple of hours sleeping while you're out. Then I'll be ready to spend a fantastic night out with my best friend ever."

Sora gazed down at Kairi with an agap mouth for a few seconds, a little surprised once again by receiving an unexpected hug from her. Feeling the girl resting her head comfortably on his shoulder, his stunned expression was soon driven away while a soft grin was brought to his face as he embraced her back tightly for the final time that night. "I've already decided where we're going tomorrow night," he whispered quietly to her. "But you're gonna have to wait until I take you there to find out what it is. 'Cause I wanna surprise you again, like I have been doing these past few days."

Kairi's eyes had closed tiredly the moment she had rested her head where she felt very content, but the exciting words Sora had just explained quietly to her had driven her to half open them. Already looking forward to going to what was bound to be another wonderful place, she tightened her arms around the boy, wishing she didn't have to let him go. "Thanks, Sora. I so can't wait."

The two held each other in their arms for a few more seconds of their happiness, then as a cold gust of wind blew at them and through the street, Kairi let go of her hero. Pulling open her pouch, she reached into it to take out her house key, still smiling up at Sora with her eyes glued to his face while she began to walk through the gateway of her house. "Goodnight, Sora!" she called joyfully to him. "Thanks for taking me on another amazing day out."

"It's alright, Kairi. I've had a lovely time with you," Sora answered, his grin remaining just as wide as he started to walk back down the sidewalk - without turning away from Kairi and waving his arm to her. "I'll pick you up tomorrow night. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!" Kairi called a second time, raising her free hand to wave back at Sora. As she stepped along her garden path towards her front door, her eyes remained locked onto the boy as he stepped further and further away from her. His cheer-filled face remained in her view for a little longer as his arm swung about in the air, then at last, his face was replaced by the brown spikes on the back of his head as he turned around to hurry down the sidewalk towards his house. The sounds of his footsteps were drowned out completely, unable to be heard over the howls of the blustery wind.

Letting her hand fall to her side, Kairi turned towards her front door and hurried along the pathway to be standing on the doorstep. She inserted the house key into the lock and turning it to let herself in and out of the cold. In her heart, she had a small amount of worry over how difficult the following day would probably be without Sora there to take her out and make her happy - but it was outsized by the excitement over him taking her out during the night. She knew well that she would not have to spend a whole twenty-four hours without the one she loved showing his face at all. Her wait for him would pay off, as he would arrive when the rest of the islands were asleep to take her for a fantastic outing and keep his sincer promise to her.

Once the door was unlocked, Kairi let herself in and swung it shut behind her, taking into the house the sweet smile which was made from how easy she found it was for her to love Sora.

* * *

**So now you know a big change that's about to happen in this story: as we draw near the end, the remaining trips Sora is going to take Kairi on are going to be set late in the night. The reason for this was because I felt realistically, his mother would want to spend what would probably be his final days with him, and since Kairi has been present in the previous nine days, she would want just the two of them - mother and son - to spend time together. But of course, I'm keeping the story the way the summary describes, and this is how Sora will keep his promise to Kairi.**

**So the end is nearly here now - but it'll probably take me a while to reach it. I expect it'll take me another ten chapters to conclude this - but since my prediction on the length of this chapter was wrong, I advice you don't take that one seriously. :P**


	53. Quick Day

**Here's chapter fifty-three, which took me a fair bit of time to write. But luckily, it's much shorter than the recent chapters. Not exactly the length of the earlier ones, which I had been hoping for - but fortunately, not the ridiculous length of the last couple of ones. :P**

**Sure hope what's in the chapter is okay. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The bright daylight which had been filling her bedroom for over three hours since the sun had risen finally managed to stir Kairi from her sleep.

Opening her tired blue eyes, she gazed up at the white of the ceiling as she remained in her bed, her first thought of the day making her feel a little downhearted. Unlike every morning of the past week, which had each required her to get ready quickly as soon as she woke up to go out and spend a wonderful day with the boy she loved, she had just woken up to spend the entire day all alone in the house. It would not be until the final hours of the night - which she knew would take an unbearably long time to arrive - before Sora would finally be able to take her somewhere. She remembered he had already taken her out during an evening rather than a day once, which had been the very first one of the fortnight they had been making the most of together - but she had not needed to wait for him to pick her up for as long as she was going that day. Even though she was glad Nikkou was going to be spending some nice time with her son, Kairi knew that getting through the day until the sun would go down was going to be very difficult without Sora there to make it so happy for her.

As her face scrunched into a frown, Kairi let her head roll to her left - and her gloomy expression disappeared as quickly as it had formed. Lying next to her, its head resting against the pillow while its tiny body was tucked under the duvet, was the teddy bear Sora had given her for her fifth birthday. Just the sight of the bear was able to bring a smile to her face. She had been taking it to bed with her each night since she had finally released it out from the darkness of her cupboard, as if she was ten years younger again. Kairi was very glad to have been reunited with her old toy, as it was more to her than just a stuffed animal; it was a symbol of how Sora had always been able to make her happy as far back as when their friendship begun when they were toddlers. She still felt very terrible for just letting the boy's first birthday present for her just sit in the corner of her cupboard for years and forgetting about it completely. Now that it was back in her life and bringing back happy memories of the kind-hearted person who had given it to her, she was going to treat her toy the way she felt it deserved.

Kairi threw the duvet off herself and the bear, which she took hold of as she sat up on the mattress, still smiling down at it. The bear smiled back up at her with the piece of black thread that had been sewn across its face to make its mouth, exactly the same way as it had on the day Sora had given it to her. Running a finger over its brown hairy head, Kairi decided that it was going to provide her with a bit of company through the day - and it wasn't going to be the only thing to do that. Getting to her feet, she used one hand to pull back the curtains which had been drawn across the window (keeping hold of the bear in the other hand), then paused for a moment as she was hit by the stronger force of sunlight which entered her room before picking up the action figure of Amai. The toy of the character from the television show Sora had watched when he was a toddler, _Fun With Egao_, would stand on the window sill each night since the one it had been taken to the home of its new owner. Although it had only been with her for just four nights, Kairi adored the figure as much as the bear. It was another symbol living in her house of how her hero was able to make her happy over the years, and it was going to help the bear keep Kairi company throughout the long day. They were no replacement for Sora - which she knew no one could ever be - but they were at least something she had received from him which brought her a lot of joy.

* * *

A few minutes passed before Kairi left her room, dressed in her usual clothes and shoes. Her arms were folded, and the bear was tucked under them while the figure of Amai was in her hand. She made her way across the hallway to the top of the staircase, which she began to descend at a fairly quick pace. As she came closer to the wooden floor at the bottom, she gazed around at the silent lounge below. As always, it was just as quiet as it was on most mornings, due to her being the only person in the house. Kairi sighed as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She was thinking to herself of the fact that wherever her father had gone off to, he was unaware of what her best friend was going through and had no idea about the fear and pain she was suffering. While she was grateful that the mayor of the islands had adopted her and rescued her from living a life with no family or home, she wished he would spend a little more time in the house with her, being present when she needed someone.

Taking a few steps in the direction of the kitchen doorway, Kairi stopped beside the couch and took a glance at it before looking down at the two toys she was holding. She thought it would be best to keep them out of the kitchen, so she placed them into a sitting position on the couch, having them side by side and smiling at the sight of them. Though the bear was very small, it looked large compared to the tiny action figure. The two of them were able to bring huge amounts of happiness to Kairi, and she wondered to herself what Sora would think to see the two toys he had given her together.

Lifting her head up from the gifts she had received from the person she loved so much, Kairi made her way into the kitchen. She was not feeling very hungry and the thought of breakfast was only faintly in her mind, but she still pulled open the floor cupboard to take out a box of cereal and a bowl. She placed them together onto the worktop and pulled open the refrigerator door to take out the single carton of milk which was sitting inside, but as she lifted it up from where it was standing, her hand that was holding it hesitated for a moment before placing it back down. Her face no longer had the smile which had been there a few minutes ago, and was now full of clear loneliness and misery. She turned away from the refrigerator, leaving its door wide open and forgetting completely about breakfast as she took a chair for herself at the small dining table to sag into, feeling bad about how she was feeling.

Despite how much she was missing Sora already and wishing he was there to make her happy, Kairi not only knew that he was going to be able to do that in the forthcoming night, but that he needed to be with his mother without her. She hated herself for longing to be with the boy that moment when she had been with him for the past nine days while his mother hadn't spend as much time with him, but she couldn't help herself. Waiting all by herself for the day to pass was proving already to be a difficult challenge, in that it was putting a thought in her mind which took no time to rip her heart up. How lonely and sad she felt now would not be as close to how she would feel if the cancer Sora had caught during the previous week would take him away from her. She could at least struggle her way through this day, knowing that he was going to be turning up at her doorstep after the sun had gone down, but it would be impossible for her to get through her life without him being alive and ever-ready to see her. He was what she needed to be happy, and although she was ever-grateful for her other friends who would also do their best to make her happy, too, a life without the one who had always been her hero would be filled with damage to her that could never be repaired.

As the agony in her heart increased by each second, Kairi felt tears building up inside her eyes. She squeezed them shut tight, letting out a few sobs which filled the kitchen. She was hurt, frightened, devastated and angry all at the same time. Why did Sora have to be given cancer? He was the kindest, bravest, most selfless and giving person ever. He didn't deserve to have his life taken from him. What he did deserve was to have a long and happy life with absolutely everything he desired. All she wanted herself was for the news everyone who knew about Sora's cancer hoped to hear, which would be that the surgery he had gone through had been a success and he was cured. The fear of losing him which they were going through would be over, and he would remain in their lives, continuing to keep hers happy. She was thinking to herself how cruel and heartless cancer was, threatening to take his life and make her own horrible by having her live without him when she loved him so much.

The house was suddenly filled with the loud sound of the doorbell being rung, which caused Kairi to jerk her head upwards in the fright it gave her. Her eyes shot open wide in surprise, leaving the tears she had built up now free to escape and run down her cheeks. As she turned her head urgently to look through the kitchen doorway and towards the front door, she quickly raised a hand to wipe away the tears. Whoever she was going to find standing on her doorstep, she did not want them to see her crying. She was doubtful that it would turn out to be Sora, since he was supposed to be giving up the entire day to spend it with Nikkou - but she couldn't stop herself from building up a small amount of hope that it would be.

Once she was sure that her eyes were dry and she had rubbed her cheeks enough times to get rid of the tear marks, Kairi stood up from the chair and hurried into the lounge (pushing the door of the refrigerator shut on her way past it). She saw that her house key was still in the keyhole from when she had locked the door the previous night after returning home from Sora's house. As she stood at the door and turned the key to unlock it, she prayed inside her head that whoever she was about to greet was not going to detect she was in a depressed mood.

The moment she unlocked the door, Kairi took hold of the handle to pull it open wide - and her eyes widened as she shot a highly surprised expression at the person standing before her outside. "Riku?"

Her silver-haired friend had been smiling whilst he had waited for her to open the door to him, but now that his eyes were meeting hers, he had managed to sense the misery she was going through. His expression began to fill quickly with horror and concern for her. "Are you okay, Kairi?" he asked worriedly.

Kairi realized by Riku's question that he could tell straightaway that she was feeling upset, so she forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah, I'm fine, Riku," she answered falsely, taking a few steps back as she held the door open for the boy to join her inside the house. "Come on in."

Riku stayed where he was for a few moments, gazing at Kairi in sadness that had begun to form over her low mood, before stepping onto the wooden flooring as he entered the house. The fake happiness she was putting on for him was not fooling him in the slightest. He could easily tell how she was truly feeling, as well as who and what was causing her to be so heartbroken. It was the very reason why he had just walked to her house to see her. Discovering that she was all by herself and hurting badly made him feel even more determined to provide her with a lot of comfort that she needed.

After pushing the door shut behind Riku, Kairi gestured towards the kitchen doorway whilst remaining standing right in front of him, painfully holding her forced smile as best as she could. "Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"No thanks, Kairi." Riku stared at the girl with aqua eyes full of gloominess that were able to see just how false the smile on her face was. He knew that the first couple of statements he was about to make about her real mood were going to be replied to with denial. Both he and Sora always hated it in the rare times when she would try to keep any emotion or hurt she was going through from them, so he was hoping she would not remain as stubborn throughout his whole visit. "Are you sure you're okay? You really don't look-"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Riku!" Kairi cut him off. She could tell Riku was onto her and wanted her to stop bottling up her feelings, but she didn't want to be a bother to him by letting out her real mood in front of him. "Don't worry about me, I'm okay. I'm just having a quiet day all on my own."

Listening disappointedly to the girl's unconvincing claims which she didn't seem to realize were not good enough to trick him, Riku shook his head at her in disbelief. "I bet that's not as nice as having Sora take you out to go somewhere for the day with him, is it?"

Having Riku telling her which he clearly knew as well as she did was nothing but true led to the fake smile on Kairi's face vanishing as she finally gave up on trying to make him believe she was okay. She knew deep down in her heart that anybody else who was aware of what Sora was going through and what she was fearing would not be taken by her efforts to hide her sadness either. Having now decided to stop pretending in front of Riku that her depression was not taking an effect on her, she turned away from him with the distraught look that had just formed onto her face. As her shoulders sagged heavily, she trudged across the wooden floor until she was standing near the couch. She picked up the bear and the figure of Amai and placed them on their backs onto the piece of furniture's right arm so there was room for her to sit down down onto it. Her head lowered as her eyes full of misery closed.

From where he stood, Riku looked towards at her with even more unhappiness that was built from seeing how she was suffering without Sora there to comfort her, then made his way over to her and stood in front of where she sat. He took a quick stare at the two toys she had moved onto the arm, recognizing and remembering the bear in surprise from the many days of their toddler years when Kairi would take it to many places with her, before sadly observing the broken-hearted expression on her face. He slumped down next to her on the couch and placed a hand gently onto her shoulder. "Do you know why I'm here, Kairi?"

Kairi's head immediately lifted up as her eyes shot open, now full of surprise from Riku's hand being unexpectedly rested on her shoulder. She turned towards the silver-haired boy with distress still visible in her face, shaking her head slowly at him.

Riku's lips managed to twitch to a small smile as he gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "Sora told me just now to go see you."

Her ears perking up, Kairi's expression filled with heaps of astonishment and newly-formed delight which was from learning that Sora had been thinking of her again. "He did?"

"I've just been speaking to him and Nikkou outside their house," Riku explained. "They were just getting ready to go somewhere in their car for the day. He told me that he was worried in case you gonna spend the day here all on your own. I became worried about you, too, so he told me to go over here to make sure you're alright. I didn't like the thought of you being by yourself, either - not when you've been having had so many lovely days of Sora making you happy."

Hearing how the boy she loved had been determined not for her to be upset and lonely - even when he was unable to visit her until the night arrived - led to some of the pain in Kairi's damaged heart being healed. Her widened eyes were beginning to twinkle, full of happiness that Sora was starting to bring to her without even being in her presence. Knowing that Riku was also concerned about her was also able to make her feel moved, and she wasn't going to let him leave the house without first letting him know how grateful she was towards him.

A different thought which was still about Sora suddenly raced through her mind, being driven by what Riku had said about talking to him and his mother outside of their house. Wanting to learn if it was true or not, Kairi gave the sixteen-year old a tiny, but genuine smile. "Did Sora and Nikkou seem happy when they were leaving their house?"

Riku turned away from the girl for a few seconds to let off a few sniggers before facing her again. "Well, Nikkou wasn't when I first saw her; she was looking pretty annoyed. She was outside her house, waiting for Sora to come out, and she had a broom in her hands, sweeping up some straw that was on her section of the sidewalk for some reason. Sora showed up before I could ask her what it was from, and I forgot to ask him about it when we started chatting."

Even the mention of straw on the sidewalk was able to help Kairi's mood rise up much further, as it made her think of the fantastic way of traveling she had shared with her hero, the day before. "That's the straw Hime-Kotsu was eating last night!" she cried gleefully, her eyes shining even more brightly as the small smile on her face grew into a wide, joy-filled grin.

"Hime-Kotsu?" Riku remarked puzzledly, having no idea who - or what - the strange-sounding name Kairi had said in her delight belonged to, and not knowing either what it was supposed to mean. "Who's Hime-Kotsu?"

Kairi's grin softened as she thought back to the final amazing hours of her day out with Sora in the countryside, keeping her attention focused on Riku at the same time. "She's a horse me and Sora rode on together yesterday."

It was Riku's turned to react to what was being said with a highly-stunned expression. His eyes had shot as wide as they could go, while his jaw had fallen so far low that a tennis ball could have been placed inside his mouth. What the girl had just told him was something he thought would have been a really amazing sight, which he really wished he could have seen.

"_You guys rode on a horse?_" he gasped, his loud tone filling the lounge with the huge amount of surprise Kairi had put him in. "_You and Sora? Together?_"

Thrilled by Riku's reaction, Kairi proceeded to spend the next couple of minutes telling him happily about the days out Sora had been taking her on since his birthday had come and gone. She began with the picnic they had shared together in the countryside, explaining as much about the beautiful atmosphere they had been surrounded in and the view they were able to admire from the field as she empathized about how she enjoyed the food. She went on to talk about walking with Sora to see the horses on their pen, and how delighted she had been when the younger members of the herd had trotted over to stand so close to her. The section of her story which was when they had met Sugoshi did not include the terrifying moment of the day when the horse keeper had yelled at them and nearly drove her away in fright, for she didn't want Riku to think the man who owned the horses was a horrible, bad-tempered monster who had almost upset her. Having chosen to skip over that part, she told him about when she and Sora had been taken to the stables to meet Hime-Kotsu, and how Sugoshi had asked the two of them to take her for a ride back to the estate together. While going on to explain what it had been like to travel on the back of the Camague with the boy, Kairi's tone had softened and her face had filled with awe, for she was reliving the magical moments inside her head. Her telling of the story finally came to a pause after she had talked about riding into the street with Sora - but it turned out it was not the conclusion, for she went on to explain to Riku about how they had flown across the main island in a hot air balloon before doing all of that.

As he listened silently to her in fascination, Riku shot Kairi a small smile. Everything she was telling him about what Sora had done over the past two days had obviously made her so happy. He had not needed to be with them on the days out to know that they had succeeded to bring enormous amounts of joy to her, making her days so much brighter. He would have liked to have joined them, however, just to see them riding together in the hot air balloon and on horseback. He felt it would have been fantastic to see his two best friends getting to enjoy such things, but he knew that Sora had been arranging them all solely for Kairi. They perhaps wouldn't have been able to have as much fun during their brilliant activities if he had been there with them.

When Kairi finally finished telling her almost endless story, she turned away from Riku and took a few tiny breaths. The boy grinned softly at her, his own mood having been lifted from learning what Sora had been doing for her. "It sounds like you've been having a really wonderful time with Sora."

"Yeah. He's been so kind to me. Mind you, he always has been. And I'll always be thankful for everything he's done and all the effort he's made, just for me."

Kairi was gazing down towards the floor with gleaming eyes and a grateful smile from her thoughts. Her cheeks had gone a light shade of red, partly from telling Riku her long story, but mostly due to what it happened to be only a fraction about. Sora had given up so much for her over the previous week, and he had always been doing everything he could to ensure she was enjoying herself and going through nothing but complete happiness. He was all she needed for her moods to be brighter and a smile to be brought to her face, but everything he had been doing for her lately had indeed managed to make the past nine days contain such a lot of enjoyment while in his company. She could feel the rapid, fast beating of her heart, which she knew would never stop filling with more and more love for the spiky-haired boy.

Her thoughts of Sora were suddenly joined by one of Riku, which caused her to lift her head upwards quickly in excitement before turning with a widening smile to face him. "Hey, Riku," she declared delightedly. "Y_ou _should join us on another one of our trips out! Just like you did when we went to Disney Castle!"

Riku's expression filled instantly with surprise as his lips partly slightly whilst remaining in a smile, feeling a little flattered by Kairi's sweet offer. Despite this, he was unsure if she and Sora would really enjoy having him with them on one of the activities which would be arranged solely for her, so he rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling with a shrug. "I dunno, Kairi. Sora is doing all this just for you."

"But we'd all have a great time together! You're our best friend, as well, Riku. I'd like having you with us, and I know Sora would, too. You really ought come along on another outing with us. We'd all enjoy ourselves together, like we did up at the castle."

Feeling a little encouraged by hearing Kairi's mention of him being a best friend to her and Sora, Riku grinned at her again and let off a light chuckle. "Well, as long as you really mean _all _of us getting to enjoy ourselves! I didn't enjoy having to mop up hundreds of floors while you two were sitting around in thrones all day!"

"That wasn't my decision, Riku," Kairi giggled, thinking back to when he had been her and Sora's servant up at Disney Castle. "That was Sora's. He told you to mop those floors and you had to do what he said; he was the King."

"Yeah, and _you_ were the Queen!" Riku reminded her with a smirk. "You could have done something to stop him from making me do such a stupid job!"

"Sorry. I didn't think to."

The two of them shared a laugh - then Kairi let out an unexpected yawn, baffling herself while she did as to where it had come from. She quickly covered her mouth before closing it so as not to appear behaving rudely in front of Riku, and was taken aback as she felt her head tilt to one side, feeling suddenly heavy. Frowning irritably over herself, she used the hand she had covered her mouth with to push against the side of her head to have it upright again, but she found there was no way to stop her eyelids from falling halfway over her eyes. She could feel herself become tired, and had no idea why it was beginning to happen, since she hadn't been awake long enough to do anything to exhaust herself.

"Kairi?" Riku remarked in complete puzzlement. He was giving a wide-eyed gaze that was full of surprise towards the girl's behavior, worrying in case she was becoming unwell. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Riku. "I just..." Kairi paused and quickly covered her mouth with her hand again as she gave another yawn, her head falling back to the side. She couldn't understand where all the weariness she was going through had come from. All that she knew was that if she were to rest her head on the back of the couch, she would fall asleep in a few seconds. "I just feel so tired all of a sudden. I dunno why."

"Have you been awake for very long?"

"Not really. I don't think I've been out of bed for over an hour. I was alright getting out of it earlier, but now I just feel ready to drop back off."

A large grin managed to find its way onto Riku's face, as he had just come up with an idea on what he felt she should do to get through the day. "You and Sora are going somewhere _tonight_, aren't you?"

Kairi looked up at him with half-closed eyes and managed to give a nod with her heavy head. "He told you about that, did he?"

"Well actually, he had to _whisper_ it!" Riku laughed. "And he didn't do that until Nikkou had gone back in the house for a bit so that she wouldn't know he's gonna be sneaking out in the dark to meet you." He smiled softly at the girl, very pleased for her that the night ahead was going to contain another lovely time of happiness with their best friend. "D'you know what you should do now? Especially since you're so tired?"

Having no idea what he was about to suggest to her, Kairi shook her head.

"You should go back to sleep until the night comes. I know the day's only just started, but you're clearly struggling to stay awake, so you'd be better off sleeping until your energy's back. And just think; when you wake up, you'll be feeling nice and refreshed, ready for Sora. And you won't have to wait that much longer for him. It'll be better than sitting around waiting for the whole day to end."

Encouraged by Riku's idea, Kairi turned away from him as she thought it over (her thinking somehow able to make her feel even more exhausted). It made a lot of sense to her, and sounded like the best thing to do. Even if she wasn't feeling so tired, trying to get through the day whilst staying awake would only make the wait for Sora last even longer. There wouldn't be anything she would think to do to pass the time, which would go by a lot quicker if she was asleep. She was sure that she was sleepy enough to not wake until the day was reaching its end, and she would have much less of a wait for Sora to arrive at her house. It would be as if she was waking up while he was getting ready to meet her at the beginning of a new day, which was what they had been doing a lot of over the past week.

"What do you think then, Kairi?" Riku asked, wondering and hoping she was deciding to go with his suggestion. "Are you gonna do that?"

Turning to send to the boy a wide, soft grin on her face, Kairi nodded eagerly up at him. "Yeah, Riku, that's a good idea!" she answered cheerfully. "Thanks for the suggestion. It'll make the day go by a lot quicker and I won't have to wait that long for Sora!"

"Oh, that's alright, Kairi. I'm glad you can see how good that would be for you. Although..." Riku's smile faded, worry over the girl beginning to build up again. "Are you gonna be alright here all on your own? I know you'll be asleep for most of the day, but will you be okay by yourself?"

Kairi gazed up at Riku with her grin, moved and grateful for how concerned he was about her well-being, and stretched her arms out towards him to pull him into a hug. "I'll be fine, because of you, Riku. You've made me feel so much better. Thanks for coming over to make sure I'm okay. I really appreciate how kind you've been."

Riku's cheeks had gone bright red as he looked down at Kairi with eyes that had gone wide the moment she had put her arms around him. He was very stunned to receive an embrace from the girl without expecting one, but at the same time, he was very delighted to have one. He returned the hug, knowing she was going to be sharing plenty that night with the boy who was taking her out that night. "I'm just very happy you're okay now."

They held each other in their arms for a few more seconds, then they finally pulled away before Riku got to his feet. Sending the smile that was still on his face down to Kairi, he raised a hand and began to head for the front door. "I'll see you then," he said.

"Oh, let me get the door for you first," Kairi exclaimed. She fought against her massive tiredness and struggled with difficulty to stand up from the couch, ignoring how her heavy shoulders tried to drag her back down as she trudged over to the door. She pulled it open and held it for Riku, turning to him to send him a tired, thankful smile. "Thanks again for coming over to be there for me."

Grinning at her, Riku walked across the room to be standing at the doorway, locking gazes with her before stepping out of the house. "Have a nice sleep," he chuckled. "And have a really wonderful time with Sora tonight - although I don't need to remind you to do that, because he's gonna make sure you will."

Kairi returned a grin - which was mostly made from who she would be going out with that night - and raised an arm to wave to Riku as she watched him walk down the pathway. Her arm felt as it had very little energy in it, but she managed to get it into the air, although she wasn't able to shake her hand about, for it was already a challenge to keep it upright. "Bye, Riku!"

"See you, Kairi!" Riku called, looking over his shoulder towards her and waving his hand through the air at her. He kept his arm upright until he had gone all the way down the path and had passed through the gateway, then let his arm drop to his side as he turned right to make his way down the sidewalk with the grin still on his face.

After a few seconds of watching him make his way to the end of the street from her doorway, Kairi pushed the door shut and turned to look up to the top of the staircase before her. Her first thought of what to do next was to return to her bedroom, collapse onto her bed and not leave until she had woken from her sleep with just a small amount of time left for Sora to arrive. What stopped her from going ahead with this was the height of the staircase, which was looking like a mountain through her tired eyes. She was afraid she would fall halfway while trying to climb them, and knew she would not be able to make it to the upper floor in her state. Kairi decided she would be better off sleeping on the couch. She didn't need her bed to be able to sleep straightway, as she was exhausted enough to drop off anywhere. Everything she needed was downstairs - including what would keep her from being alone while she slept.

Kairi lowered her head and walked across the room to the couch. She looked down to where she had placed the bear and the figure of Amai on their backs, smiling down at them. She was glad she had brought them down with her that morning to keep herself from being lonely, as she didn't have to return to her room to fetch them. The bear was going to provide her with as much company while she slept in the lounge as it did each night of her sleeping in her room, and it was going to be joined by Amai. Even if she would easily fall asleep within seconds on the couch, Kairi knew she would prefer having the two special toys Sora had given her in her arms than being on her own without them.

Picking Amai and the bear up off the arm of the couch, Kairi sat down and leaned back to make herself comfortable, folding her arms to hug the stuffed animal and the plastic figure. She turned her tired head to look with a tiny smile towards the front door, highly looking forward to hearing the doorbell ring that night to tell her that the boy she considered a prince had arrived for her. The thought made her think it was better to sleep on the couch if they were going to be going out somewhere, for she would feel far more ready when she would wake up than if she had to pull herself out of bed again. She would probably still have a little bit of a wait before Sora would arrive after sneaking out of his house to make his way to hers, but it would only be a rather short length of time and would be worth every second of patience, just to see him.

Kairi smiled wider as she hugged the two toys in her arms tighter, resting her head against the back of the couch and letting her eyelids finally fall all the way down. Now comfortable on the couch and prepared to let the large number of hours ahead pass by without her doing anything, she let herself fall off to sleep to end her quick day - but not without one last happy thought of the night ahead with Sora pass through her excited mind.

* * *

**Well, a chapter where Sora is completely absent (which I haven't done since chapter thirty-four) and where Riku appears for the first time since chapter forty-two. And no, there are no RiKai hints at all in here. Ha ha. Just making sure to keep them in character and their friendship true to as it is in the games. :)**

**I hope the next few chapters will be enjoyable for you. It's gonna be quite different having Sora and Kairi sneak around during the nights and having their trips in the dark - but it won't be too dark to see all the SoKai stuff you can expect. XD**


	54. Sneaky Sneakers

**Writing this chapter surprised me greatly. It turned out to be much longer than I expected, yet I managed to get it finished quicker than I usually do with chapters as long as this (I think having time off work helps with the latter fact! :P).**

**All the better then! I sure hope you enjoy it. :)**

* * *

Sora gazed thoughtfully out through the window of the front passenger door of his mother's car, awed by how beautiful the evening sky looked.

It was still the light blue it had been throughout the whole day, but traces of orange were beginning to work their way into it. They would soon take over the entire sky and change its colour completely, lasting for just over an hour before darkening down to pitch blackness. The large, fluffy clouds had already become a light shade of pink which they all shared with each other. They were no longer the pale white they had been when Sora had last looked up at them half an hour ago. He thought it would have been lovely to watch the evening that was approaching from the beach of the smaller island with Kairi. He felt a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to, and was instead having to watch it without her from the seat of his mother's car. He knew, however, that he'd rather miss the opportunity than not take her out at all that night. It would not be long before he would be leading her to a place where he wanted them both to have a fantastic time, enjoying themselves together in the moonlight.

Nikkou lifted her foot up slightly from the gas pedal as she drove along the empty, quiet road, passing the first couple of streets in the estate where she and her son lived. She was feeling ready to collapse onto her bed. She had taken Sora out to a restaurant near the opposite end of the main island for the day, where she had treated him to a large meal which he did not leave a scrap of (and yet still felt hungry enough after he had finished to eat _two_ desserts he asked her to order for him). Driving the return journey - which had lasted nearly three hours - had tired Nikkou out, but it had been worth it for her. She had really enjoyed going out for the day with Sora, and he had told her on the way back that he had enjoyed it as well. Spending some mother-and-son time had been wonderful for her, so her feeling of weariness was joined by a much larger one of happiness.

Glancing towards the end of the street where they lived, which she had now reached in her car, Nikkou hit the indicator to signal right and steered quickly to manoeuvre onto the lane. She drove past the rows of houses on each side, taking a glance towards Sora with a soft, sleepy smile. "You tired, Sora?"

Sora reacted to his mother's question by rolling his head slowly along the back of the chair until he was gazing up at her. Trying to look completely exhausted, he sunk backwards and let his shoulders sag, sending up his mother a smile that contained false tiredness. He gave her a 'weak' nod, hoping his silent act would hide from her how he was truly feeling. He could feel his excitement increasing, due to the fact he was just hours away from taking Kairi for her night out. The same event he was to enjoy later on was what made him sure to keep his feelings under control. He was determined not going to let his mother find out about what he was going to be up to while she was in bed.

"Me too," Nikkou chuckled, falling for her son's trick as she turned away from him. Watching as their house became clearer into view through the windshield, she pressed her foot down on the brake pedal, preparing to slow the car to a stop. "I'm absolutely shattered. I'm gonna go on up to bed now."

Unable to stop his grin widening from how thrilled he felt, Sora quickly rolled his head away from his mother just in time to see through his window that they were passing Kairi's house. The toothy smile on his face disappearing, he squinted to get a good look through the lounge window while he still could before the car took him further down the street and away from it. He had managed to see there was no sign of the girl within the dimly lit main room. He was sure that she was still somewhere inside the house, hopefully occupying herself with something whilst waiting for him to arrive. He prayed that the day had not been lonely and miserable for Kairi. Although he had told Riku that morning to visit her and make sure she was feeling alright, Sora still felt bad about not being able to take her out much earlier than he was going to. She had understood the night before that he needed to spend some time with just his mother - which he also knew he had to, due to his condition. Despite enjoying his day out at the restaurant, however, he knew he would have loved it a lot more if Nikkou had been willing to take Kairi with them. She had really wanted the day out to be just for herself and her son - which was the reason why Sora was going to give the night ahead to his best friend.

Nikkou pulled up outside the house that was just beyond hers, then after a quick shift of the gears, slowly backed onto her driveway. After securing the car and switching the engine off, Sora freed himself from his seatbelt before disappearing quickly out through the front passenger door. He paced up onto his doorstep and peered down the row of houses on his side of the street, his eyes stopping on the one which he would be going to that night. It would still be a little while before he would finally get to see Kairi and take her out, and it was going to be difficult to wait until it was safe to leave _his_ house without Nikkou knowing. He was going to have to force himself to be very patient, and he knew it would be highly worth it, just to see the girl he loved.

Once she had climbed out of her car with her white handbag dangling from her shoulder, Nikkou pushed the driver's door carefully shut before looking up towards where Sora stood. She smiled to herself, knowing which of the houses in the street he was gazing towards, as well as who he was thinking about. She wasn't bothered that after returning home from spending a whole day with her, Sora was thinking about Kairi - which she actually found to be adorable. Taking hold of her handbag, she pulled it open and reached inside to take out her keys, grinning over how her son could not stop thinking about the girl he really liked, even on days when he didn't see her. She had no idea that he was in fact planning to see Kairi shortly and take her for yet another trip out, making sure not to leave until she was asleep and to be back before the sun was up. She really thought her son had managed to handle going for a trip out somewhere without Kairi - and she planned for him to do the same again by taking him out with her for the next three days.

Nikkou fished her keys out of her bag and joined her son up on the doorstep, glancing down at him with the same grin as she unlocked the door. "I'm gonna have a cup of tea. D'you want one, Sora?"

"No thanks, Mom," Sora replied, turning away from where he had been gazing at to send a calm smile up at his mother, watching as she pushed the handle down and let the door swing open. He took a step forward to be inside the house, sliding his large boots off his feet and placing them on the floor with their fronts pointing to the lounge wall. Standing in a pair of black socks, he took a long look down at his footwear, ensuring he would remember where they were when he would later be looking for them in the darkness. Having them off his feet would mean he wouldn't create as much noise when sneaking down the stairs and across the wooden floor, so he would be less likely to wake his mother up and be stopped from leaving the house.

His smile filling with eagerness over the thought of sleeping out into the night just to meet up with Kairi, Sora lifted his head full of excitement up and turned it towards Nikkou, noticing she had just stepped into the house after him. "I'm gonna go for a lie on my bed."

"Well, it'll be a very long lie, Sora," Nikkou told him, locking the door up securely after pulling it shut behind her. She placed her set of keys down onto the small nearby table (not realizing her son was taking careful and subtle note of where on the wooden surface they were resting). "'Cause we're gonna be going to bed soon. I'm not staying up for much longer!"

"That's okay, Mom." Sora was very pleased to know Nikkou was too exhausted to keep herself from her bed. His wait for her to fall deeply asleep would hopefully not last too long.

He crossed the room and began to climb the staircase, stopping halfway and peering down towards the small table beside the front door while his mother disappeared into the kitchen. He was making extra sure that he knew where Nikkou had left the keys. Seeing them all joined together in a small heap on the table made him smile in his excitement. Now that the house was locked up, the keys were not likely to be picked up again that night - until the sun had down completely, the entire atmosphere of the islands was pitch back and he was free to sneak out while his mother would remain undisturbed in her sleep. She would not have the barest idea that he would be going out to enjoy himself in the hours when he was supposed to be in bed - and that was how Sora intended to keep it so as to be able to keep his promise to Kairi.

Grinning widely, thoroughly looking forward to taking the girl he adored to a place under the stars he hoped she would like, Sora turned and hurried up the rest of the stairs. He headed into his room to spend the remainder of his wait for Nikkou to fall flat onto her mattress and let herself drop off, which would be what he needed before he could let himself out of the house and meet up with the princess on the islands.

* * *

Kairi's blue eyes fluttered for a few seconds as she began to wake up, feeling refreshed and full of new energy after her hours of sleep.

The first thing she realized as she looked around herself - her head filling quickly with instant bafflement - was that she was sitting on the couch in the lounge, instead of lying under the duvet of her bed. The room was in complete darkness without the ceiling lamp turned on, and she knew that she had slept through the majority of the day, but she couldn't remember why she had decided to. Her puzzled expression scrunched slightly into a frown as she tried to think back to what she had been doing during the day before going to sleep where she was. It took an image of Sora which suddenly burst into her head to jog her memory, brightening up her face with growing delight. She was quickly able to remember why the boy hadn't taken her out that day, and that as it was now dark, she did not have long to wait before he would arrive at her house to take her somewhere that night. Kairi felt the speed of her heartbeats increase in her returning excitement, grinning joyfully over the thought of being taken somewhere in the late hours by her wonderful hero.

It was at that point she finally noticed the two toys which she had used to keep her company through the day still resting together in her arms. Her wide smile softening, she gazed down at them with shining eyes, hugging them even tighter. The bear and the figure of Amai remained silent as they were embraced by the girl who adored them, gazing out into the darkness with their motionless eyes and their ever-lasting smiles. Kairi was very glad to have the two precious gifts from Sora so close. They were both able to give her a warm feeling of how kind and sweet the boy was to her. By giving them to her, he had managed to make her feel so happy - which he had done for her countless times in their lives. It would not be very long before he would do it once again, with Kairi unable to wait until he arrived.

Deep gratefulness towards Sora filling her heart and her grin, Kairi jumped up from the couch to her feet. She took the two toys out from under her arms and held them one in each hand before placing them together where she had been sitting in her sleep on the couch. Despite how dark the room was, the figure and bear were able to stand out amongst it for her to see them clearly, and she sent her smile down towards them before making her way towards the kitchen doorway, leaving one pitch black room to stand in the other. Once she was inside the kitchen, she flipped a switch on the wall to light up the room, clearing away all the darkness and make everything around her visible. The first thing she noticed was the box of cereal and bowl she had taken out of the cupboard that morning, still sitting in the same spot she had left them on when she had become too depressed over being on her own without Sora. They made her realize in her surprise that she had not eaten a single scrap of food all day, and the thought made her manage to discover that she was feeling very hungry - which her earlier, ecstatic thoughts of Sora had made her fail to notice.

Kairi giggled to herself over the fact she was going to be eating breakfast in the night, then turned to look over her shoulder up at the clock on the kitchen wall. The time was twenty past nine, and she was sure that Sora was not making his way over to her house just yet; it was too early in the night for Nikkou to be fast asleep in bed. Knowing she did not have much longer to wait, but feeling certain she had plenty of time to eat before he would arrive, she approached the kitchen worktop and picked up the cereal box, pouring some of its contents into the bowl.

* * *

Nikkou began to tiredly climb the dark staircase of her house, which had its entire lower storey filled in complete darkness. After she had finished her cup of tea, she had made sure all the electrical devices in the lounge and kitchen were switched off, and now just had one more thing to do before she could get to tuck herself into her bed. She'd had a fantastic day, getting to spend it with her beloved son and treating him to a large meal at a nice restaurant, even if it had exhausted her out. Nikkou didn't mind, however, as she felt as happy as she was tired, as well as pleased that Sora had enjoyed the day with her.

Having no problems ascending the stairs without any of the lights illuminating her way, Nikkou reached the upper level of the house. She stopped once she was standing at the top of the staircase, turning her head towards where her son's bedroom door was, just about see the outline of it in the blinding darkness. There was no light from behind it escaping through the cracks. Wondering if her son was tucked under his duvet yet, Nikkou approached the door to gave it a gentle little knock. "Sora? Are you in bed?"

No answer came from beyond the door, so Nikkou pushed it open to peer into the room. Her vision fought its way through the darkness into the direction of the bed - and all she needed was one step forward to realize her son was lying on it. The duvet was spread over him while his head resting motionlessly against the pillow. It was too bleak for her to see from the doorway if his eyes were closed or not, but since he was not making any sound noise or movements as a response to her presence, Nikkou felt sure he had gone all the way to a peaceful sleep. Smiling softly to herself, she walked silently across the room to stand at his bedside, deciding to find out if she was right. Her eyes had managed to adjust to the pitch blackness of the room, so she was able to take in his expression as she gazed softly down at his face.

With his head rolled to the side, Sora's eyes were closed with his mouth being a thin line. No emotion was visible in his face. Standing so close to him as he slept allowed Nikkou to hear his deep, relaxed breathing. He appeared to be so comfortable and content lying in the warmth of his bed - which made her look forward even more to climbing into her own and drifting off once her head was on her pillow. She was able to hold herself where she was for a little longer, just to admire the sight of her son in his own rest. The two of them had been very busy by enjoying themselves together that day, which was now all over and had worn out her son enough to send him into an undisturbed sleep.

The smile still on her face, Nikkou leaned down to plant a soft kiss onto Sora's forehead. "Goodnight, Sora," she whispered quietly to him. "We've had a lovely day today. We'll have another one tomorrow."

Sora gave no response to her hushed words as he slept on, his breathing being the only sounds he was making. Deciding to finally leave him alone and get her own needed rest, Nikkou straightened up and headed towards the bedroom door, which she had left open behind her. She treaded out into the darkness of her house that took up the entire upstairs landing, pulling the door shut carefully behind her.

The moment the sound of the door closing into its frame filled the entire room, Sora's eyes immediately shot open. They did not contain the slightest bit of exhaustion, and were instead filled with urgency and excitement. He quickly sat up in his bed - the duvet falling off him a bit to reveal he was still wearing his regular clothes instead of his pyjamas - shooting his alert expression towards the door. He listened to his mother's faint footsteps, which were growing quieter as she left his room behind to head for her own. Sora was trembling a little over the thought of sneaking through the darkness and out of the house in just a while - but he could hardly wait to do it so that right after he had done so, he would see the beautiful angelic face of Kairi.

His ears perked up as he heard his mother's bedroom door being pushed open, listening hard as it swung to and fro before delightfully welcoming the sound of it being closed. Knowing she did not plan to leave her room until the sun was up, he threw the duvet off himself and swung his legs down the side of his mattress so that he was sitting comfortably upright. All he had to do now was wait for Nikkou to drop off, then he would be free to leave his house and head over to Kairi's. He knew his wait would have to go on for a little longer so that his mother would be completely asleep while he was making his escape. Despite how shattered she had been during the drive home, he knew she would not fall unconscious as soon as she was lying comfortably in her bed. If he tried to leave now, she would hear him clearly and stop him before he would even put a foot on the staircase. He would just have to stay where he was and take his chance after the amount of time he thought it would take for her to fall asleep. He hoped his timing wouldn't be wrong, as disturbing her whilst sneaking down the stairs would mean he would have to return to his room and wait even longer - which would be unbearable to do.

As he sat in the darkness, his ears somehow straining from the silence all around him, Sora looked down towards the corner of his room which was beside the window. Through the pitch blackness, he was able to see that lying there in a heap were a pile of worn clothes. He felt very relieved that his mother had not noticed them. He guessed was because it was either too dark for her to see them or just due to her being too busy looking at him to notice them. He had been worried she would see them (just as much as he had been worried she would be able to tell he was only pretending to be asleep), and would pick them up to get rid of them, only to discover what he had buried underneath them. Sora was keeping hidden under the clothes something which he planned to take with him on his night out with Kairi. He was sure it would add to the fun of the place he was taking her to, but he had known he couldn't keep it out in the opening. Had Nikkou been able to see it when she had just entered his room to say goodnight, he was sure the sight of it would have immediately puzzled her and ask what it was doing there. Although it might not have given away what he was trying not to let her find out, he had decided it would be best not to leave any hints of his night ahead lying around her to see.

The minutes went by with Sora being unable to count them up and not have any idea of how long he had been there for. He wasn't enjoying just sitting there in the dark and doing nothing. He wanted to do something to pass the time, but couldn't think of anything that wouldn't create any noise at all and be risky of reaching his mother's ears. As the tedious wait dragged on, he listened to the very few sounds that could be heard outside every now and again, which included a few cars passing through the street he lived in and the next, a dog barking somewhere in the estate and a helicopter passing thousands of feet overhead up in the night sky. He managed to keep control of his frustration and boredom by thinking of a few sweet thoughts of Kairi - although they added to his impatience of wanting to leave the house, pick her up from hers and take her where he hoped she would get to enjoy herself. He knew that he was in fact going to be able to do that - but he didn't like having to go through an untimed lengthy wait first.

* * *

Almost an entire hour had passed before Sora decided to make his move. He didn't have any idea how long he had been huffily sitting there in the blackness, but it had been far too long for him, and he felt he had waited long enough. Although the amount of time which had passed since Nikkou had disappeared into her room after saying goodnight to him probably wasn't always how long it took for her to fall asleep each night, he was sure how exhausted she had been when they had returned home that evening would have helped her to drift off much quicker. She was hopefully too deep in her rest to be able to hear any sounds around her now, and Sora couldn't bring himself to stay a little longer to be on the safe side. Kairi had been waiting for him for the entire day, and he was unable to bear holding himself from seeing her anymore. Now was the time to put his foot forward and brave sneaking past his sleeping mother so as to take the girl for a happy, fun-filled trip out in the night.

Feeling his nerves shuddering inside his stomach at an incredible speed, Sora swallowed fearfully before standing up from the bed. Despite looking forward to spending some wonderful time with Kairi under the stars, he was absolutely terrified of having to creep through the darkness of his house when he was supposed to be asleep. All it would take would be just one fairly audible noise on his way to the front door to wake his mother in an instant, leading to his intentions of leaving being delayed and himself being forced back to his room for a extended, more terrible wait. Already, he was on the alert as he listened out hard for any sounds that could come from Nikkou's room, crossing his own at the same time to be standing over the small heap of clothes that lay piled in the corner. Lowering himself quietly down onto his knees, he pulled each t-shirt and pair of jeans out from the jumble, leaving them to lie untidily on the floor. When what they had been hiding from Nikkou came into view, Sora managed to shift aside some of his nervousness to shoot a wide, excited grin down towards it.

It was a red ball, its size being a little smaller than a soccer ball's, and thin, black letters on it to spell his name in several placed around it. Sora observed it as best as he could in the darkness, dozens of memories flooding back to him. It had belonged to him since he had been three, and up until he was seven, he would enjoy kicking it and throwing it about in his mother's back garden, some playgrounds, fields and even the beach of the main island. Nikkou had usually been the one to join in his fun with the ball, and Riku would also sometimes get to play with it, too. Only twice, however, had Sora ever shared his enjoyment of the ball with Kairi. He could easily remember the first of two occasions during his toddler years when he had taken it to the smaller islands, where five-year old Kairi had been very excited by the sight of it in his hands. The two of them had spent hours together standing on the shore, ignoring everything around them as they happily threw it to each other, which they did endlessly until the sun went down. They had both had a very fun-filled day with Sora's ball - to the point that they returned to the smaller island early the next morning to do it all again.

Sora was still smiling as he gazed softly down at the ball, picturing younger Kairi in his mind standing on the shore, throwing the ball in his direction with some adorable, happy giggles. He doubted she would be able to remember it when he would show it to her later, but he knew that wouldn't stop her from being able to have fun with it all over again. Where they were going, they would able to have an even more enjoyable time by taking a ball with them - and a ball from his childhood was the perfect one to take. The fact he had loved playing with it many times when he was a toddler was sure to bring them both plenty of happiness, which was what he wanted the girl to feel a lot of.

Tucking the ball under his right arm, Sora got to his feet and stood up straight, turning around to look through the dark towards the outline of his bedroom door. The smile slipped from his face, which was filling with fear. He couldn't believe he was actually going to attempt to sneak past his sleeping mother to leave the house during the late hours of the night. No matter how terrifying it was, however, he was determined to go through with it so that he and his best friend could have their wonderful time together. As long as he didn't drive his mother out of her sleep whilst making his way to the front door, everything would be fine. The frightening moments would be all over as soon as he was standing in the open air with the door closed behind him.

Sora tensed up his stomach in an effort to keep control of the quivering nerves inside him, then stepped quietly forward to make his way silently from the corner to the door. His ears were still listening actively to pick up any sounds that would reach him from Nikkou's room. Raising his free arm hesitantly, he placed his hand down around the metal of the door handle, closing his fingers around it. Carefully, he tried to push down on it as lightly as he could.

The handle wouldn't budge. Trying to push down on it without making any sound was not going to get the door open. Sora quickly realised this, but still tried to move the handle with the same small amount of effort, hoping that luck would be on his side. He didn't want to end up waking his mother before he had even left his bedroom. In his head, he pleaded desperately for the handle to move down, but he felt as if he might as well had been trying to move a brick wall with his bare hands. The handle remained immobile, unable to be pushed down if his hand was going to be so weak.

Knowing he was going to have to use a little more force on it - whilst trying at the same time not to use too much and create a small sound from it - Sora took a few barely audible nervous pants, feeling his heart hammering inside his chest. With no other choice, he pushed down onto the handle with more power inside his hand, forcing it down easily, but creating a brief sound in the process. Holding the handle in its new position, he froze where he was as his ears listened beyond the door, waiting to hear his mother's voice call his name.

The silence of the house continued to worm its way into his ears, telling him in its own way that Nikkou had not heard him yet. Feeling a little relief, but knowing perfectly well he was not safe from getting caught yet, Sora cautiously pulled the door open. He could hear the bottom of it being scraped along the carpet, which caused his stomach to tense up in panic. Since it was a sound which lasted longer than the one which the door handle made, it had a higher chance of being heard by his mother and waking her up. Once the door open wide enough, he stared out with his worried expression out into the darkness of the upstairs landing - then froze where he was again with widening eyes full of fear. Another noise had began to reach him from somewhere nearby, entering his ears and stiffening him up.

To his left, a few metres away from where his bedroom door was and installed into the same wall on the landing, was the door to his mother's room. The sounds which had stopped Sora from proceeding any further were coming from behind it. Although it was shut securely in place, he could hear them clearly as if it was open as wide as _his_ door was. They happened to be the sound of his mother breathing deeply. He listened to her fearfully from where he was, his panic over getting caught becoming worse by the second - until he managed to realize the noise meant she was as deep in her sleep as he had hoped. She had not heard his handle being forced down or his door being pulled open.

Annoyed with himself for almost letting his nerves get the better of him and stop him from leaving the house, Sora frowned in determination. He was not willing to let anything get in the way of his night ahead with Kairi. As he listened to the sound his mother's content breathing soaring through the upper storey of the house, he slowly lifted one foot off the carpet and stepped out into the darkness outside of his room. He began to creep quietly across the landing, sneaking towards the top of the staircase with the same level of caution. His ears continued to listen out for any noises that would erupt from Nikkou's room. He hoped the breathing which told him she was fast asleep was not going to stop suddenly. His right arm tightened slightly around the ball, making sure he would not drop it.

Once he had managed to silently reach the staircase, Sora stood looking down from the top into the pitch blackness of the lower floor. It was just as dark downstairs as it was upstairs, but although it was difficult to see anything, Sora knew he wouldn't need any light to make his way to the front door. Having lived in the house since he was baby, he was confident he would be able to descend the staircase easily without seeing where he was putting his feet, and he would recognise every dark outline of each piece of furniture when he would make it to the lounge. All he had to do was take his time and each step with care. If he could make it downstairs without waking his mother, then he would have conquered the toughest part of sneaking past her while she slept.

Sora rolled the ball out from under his right arm to hold it under his left one, then with his teeth gritted with in tension, his placed his foot down onto the first stair from the top. His heart hammered inside his chest, as he was afraid the stair was about to let off a loud creak which would wake his mother instantly. Gulping fearfully, he let his entire weight sink onto his leg - but no creak escaped from the stair under his foot. The only sound to be heard was Nikkou's breathing, which continued to fill the landing.

Letting off a relieved sigh (which he made sure would not give off any sound), Sora let some of the terror he was going through leave his uptight body before proceeding carefully down towards the lower floor. The fact the stairs were not creaking under his feet made him feel a little more confident. He knew that had he been wearing his large boots, he would have been sure to create loud creaks that would have no trouble stirring Nikkou, no matter how quiet and careful he would try to be. Sneaking out of the house when he was supposed to be asleep was a nerve-wreaking mission, but the most challenging part was proving to be a little easier than he had expected.

As the lower floor started to draw closer with each of his slowly-timed steps, Sora turned to his right to gaze out into the bleakness of the lounge. Everything he could see below him was taken over by darkness. Nothing was easy to see, even with some light blocked behind the curtains drawn across the window that came from one of the streetlamps outside. He could tell what everything was, however, just by looking at the black shapes they gave off. He was peering towards where he knew the small table near the front door was. The keys would surely still be resting on it, as his mother wasn't likely to have moved them after she had locked the door when they returned home. His shoes would not have moved from there either. Once they were on his feet and he had unlocked the door, he would have made it out of his house without getting caught.

Sora was just pulling a wide grin over the fact he was about to beat the frightening challenge he was facing so as to meet Kairi - only for it to quickly disappear as his face filled up with first confusion, and then terror. He had just put his foot out too far, leading it to missing the next stair he had to take. It was too late for him to correct his mistake, as he was already beginning to fall quickly forward. Unable to stop himself, he gave a loud, horrified cry, letting the ball fly out from under his arm before crashing onto his left side. He screamed in pain, having hurt his arm and the side of his ribcage on the impact, then found himself sliding down the last few stairs in shock. As soon as he came to a stop at the bottom, he heard the ball hit the wooden floor with huge force, the pain in his widening eyes being joined by shock and fear as he listened to it bounce around in the darkness.

Gasping rapidly in his fright, Sora shot his panicked up expression up towards the pitch blackness at the top of the stairs. There was no way his mother could have slept through all that noise. Her breathing could no longer be heard upstairs, which made him sure he had just drove her from her peaceful sleep. He lay where he had landed at the foot of the staircase, waiting for her to race downstairs to him. She was bound to yell at him for sneaking around so late - as well as go into her terrified, over-protective state over the fact he had fallen down the stairs and hurt himself. He would be sent straight back sadly to his room, and he didn't think he would be able to sneak past her again. He was so angry with himself for not being careful, he felt as if he was about to break down in tears. He had been so close to getting to take Kairi out that night - and now his deep promise which he had been keeping to her for over a week was going to be broken.

From the upper storey, loud mumbling which he knew was coming from his mother made its way down the stairs to reach where he lay. He could tell she had heard the thunderous noise he had made in her sleep, whether it had been him falling down the stairs or the ball bouncing around the room. If one sound hadn't woken her, the other would have - and she would be what would stop him leaving the house to meet Kairi. Sora waited for her to appear in the darkness at the top of the stairs, unable to believe he had allowed himself to be so stupid. Just like on the heartbreaking day when he had been told he had cancer, he would be leaving Kairi waiting for him to show up, only for him to never arrive and leave her with disappointment. He had led to the wonderful night they had been supposed to enjoy together to be stopped. She was bound to be highly angry with him when he would next see her, for he would have once again misled her and let her down - without even meaning to.

The mumbling which came from upstairs ceased, and was followed by a deep, tired groan, which was the last noise Nikkou let off. No footsteps could be heard thundering across the landing. His frightened expression fading, Sora shot a puzzled expression up towards the top of the staircase, wondering why his mother wasn't dashing out of her room to find out what he was up to. The noise he and the ball had made would have driven anyone - even himself - from their sleep. He thought it would have been bound to make Nikkou rush out of her room to find him lying at the bottom of the stairs on his side, going down to check his injuries faster than he could say 'Keyblade'.

It took two minutes of silence around the whole house to make Sora realize that his mother was not coming down the stairs, or even going to call him to ask what why he had made such a noise. He found it practically impossible to believe, but he could see it was truly happening. Either Nikkou had miraculous managed to sleep through the racket he had made, or had been stirred by managing to hear it slightly, only to drop off again without thinking to investigate. She had not left her room, and how quiet the upstairs landing was made it seem unlikely she had even left her bed. Luck had been on Sora's side that night, having saved him from getting caught before he could leave the house.

Sora let off a deep sigh which filled the dark lounge, and also the kitchen. He was very thankful for how fortunate he had been to fail scuppering his plans to meet up with Kairi that night. He felt his heart beating so fast, he thought it was going to leap up from his chest and fly out of his mouth. He placed a hand onto it to steady its pace, then with a groan, he began to pick himself up from the floor. As he did so, the pain which he had forgotten about while he had waited for his mother to run downstairs came back into his arm and ribcage. He let out a cry of pain, clutching his arm and pressing it firmly against his side. He had never fallen down any stairs before, and he knew he had to be thankful his injures weren't any more severe. They were not going to stop himself having a wonderful night with Kairi, most likely leaving him by the time they returned home.

After taking a few seconds to adapt to his aches, Sora released his arm before looking along the wooden floor, seeing only nothing but blackness. It was impossible for him to see where the ball had ended up after bouncing around the room, and he didn't want to waste any more time by searching for it. Even though it had been supposed to provide more fun to where he and Kairi were going, he was afraid he wouldn't get to leave his house if he stayed any longer. He felt a little disappointed that Kairi wouldn't get to enjoy it where they were going, although he wondered if he could perhaps take it somewhere with them on a later night out that week (which depended on if he was more careful and didn't do anything to make it bounce noisily on his way out of the house again).

Deciding to concentrate on where he and the girl were going that night, Sora crossed the dark room towards where the front door was. He stuck his right hand out as he did, feeling his fingertips pass over the smooth wooden surface of the small table. As soon as they touched the cold metal of the keys, his hand stopped. They were still where had Nikkou were left them. Now he wouldn't be locked inside and could use them to go out into the night atmosphere of the outside world, which awaited him and Kairi.

Sora, feeling his excitement growing larger over being almost finished with sneaking outside his house, reached down towards where he had left his shoes on the floor earlier. He could just about see them down in front of them in the darkness, but as he was about to take hold of them, he felt the back of his fingers on his left hand hit something nearby. His arms froze, then a delighted grin grew across he face as he realized what it was: the ball!After bouncing around the room and almost waking his mother, it had landed conveniently by the door. It was resting against his left shoe, making sure he wouldn't leave it behind.

Pleased that the night ahead was going to be entirely as he planned, Sora smiled as he pulled each of his shoes onto his feet. He picked up the ball and held under his left arm again, then reached down towards where his mother's set of keys were. As he lifted them slowly off the table, they began to rattle softly against each other. He tensed up a little at the sound, knowing he was not yet out of risk of driving his mother from her sleep and getting caught - but also knowing he was less likely to wake her with the keys than he had been when falling down the stairs. He felt a few of the keys with his finger and thumb, using the shape of the them to identify whether they were the one for the front door or not, taking four attempts to find the one he was looking for. Gripping it tightly, he inserted it into the keyhole, his heart increasing its speed from his excitement as he unlocked the door.

Once he was able to push the handle down, Sora carefully and slowly pulled the door open for the sleeping street to come into view. He was expecting to be hit with a gust of icy cold air. To his surprise, the temperature of the night was very warm, as if was the middle of a beautiful day. The atmosphere outside was much brighter than it was within his house, for the streetlamps were lighting up the road and sidewalk, even though there was nobody else about passing though the dark street at such a late hour. None of the other houses had any of their lights shining through the window. Sora smiled cheerfully to himself, already enjoying being awake and going out of his house while the islands were asleep. There would be only one other person who would see that he was travelling somewhere through the dark when he was supposed to be in bed - and that person was the one who he was sneaking out for, hoping she would thoroughly love the fun of the night ahead with him.

To be extra sure that nothing was going to stop him now, Sora took one look over his shoulder towards the staircase, listening out for any sounds that would perhaps come from the upper level. He had managed to get down to the front door without waking his mother (falling noisily some of the way), and was just a step away from completing the terrible sneaking mission - but he had to make sure pulling it open would not drive her from her sleep, ruining everything in the last minute as a result. His expression filled with increasing hope and tension as he gazed through the darkness towards the staircase, praying inside his head that his mother wouldn't call his name.

With not even the softest of calls to be heard blaring from Nikkou's room, Sora sighed and grinned happily, knowing he was free at last to see Kairi and take her out. He stepped out quickly into the warm air of the night, turning around on the doorstep to pulled the door shut gently behind him. As he locked it up with the keys, his grin widened over how he had managed to sneak out of the house without being caught. Thrilled that he had succeeded to, he pocketed the keys after checking the door was locked securely, then spun around with a triumphant cheer which only he was able to hear and throwing the ball high up into the air.

As he watched it fall back down to him and caught it easily in his hands, Sora noticed for the first time that the sky was very starry that night. He gazed up at the twinkling dots high up above him, stepping forward off the doorstep with his head locked upwards. Awe was quickly filling his expression. There were thousands of them altogether, watching him leave his house when he was supposed to be asleep - but all working to make the sky look so beautiful for him and Kairi while they were on their trip out.

Grinning softly over having a magical-looking sky for himself and his best friend to admire from where he was taking her, Sora walked along the driveway and passed his mother's parked car. He stepped out onto the sidewalk and turned to his right, beginning to walk up the street to make his way to Kairi's house. He passed under the yellow light that was given off by the streetlamp closest to his house. He was looking forward to seeing Kairi's face after knocking her door. The route he was going to be leading her along would have very few streetlamps to light their way, with not one being at their destination. It didn't matter, for as soon as they would arrive there, they still would be able to see clearly where they were and how much fun they were going to have. Sora knew it was going to be illuminated completely by the beautiful starry sky above them - which was nowhere near as beautiful as the girl he was in love with.

* * *

Kairi paced silently around her lounge - which had its ceiling lamp switched on, lighting up the entire room and hanging above where she was treading in circles. Her face was scrunched up into an impatient frown. The teddy bear and the figure of Amai were watching her together from the couch. They had not moved from there since she had left them to make herself a late-night breakfast - which she had finished over two hours ago. Her wait for Sora to arrive had still not ended, and she was wondering to herself how much longer it was going to continue for. Over twenty-four hours had past since she had last seen him, when he had assured her that he would be taking her out after he returned home from his trip with his mother. She had waited for him for the whole day - sleeping through most of it so that it would go by much quicker - and he still hadn't turned up when it was getting close to midnight. He was just leaving her waiting again - just like he had before!

The last frustrated thought which ran through her head made Kairi stop pacing in horror, realizing she let her impatience take over how she was felt. She became very angry with herself for thinking such a thing, as she knew that Sora hadn't meant to leave her waiting on her upsetting day of standing on the beach; he had been at the hospital, receiving some news which had tore up the hearts of himself, his loving mother, their friends - and eventually hers when he was finally able to meet up with her to deliver the devastating news to her. It was because of what his condition could possibly lead to that he had given up so much of his precious time that mattered to himself and everyone who cared about him, just to be with her. Kairi felt the deep gratitude she felt for the boy's selflessness glow inside her heart, knowing it would last forever. Despite being so willing to take her to many lovely places of him and do whatever it would take and cost him to make her happy, what he was suffering with meant he had to give lots of his time to his mother as well. Kairi was more than willing to let Nikkou have her son all to herself as much as she wanted. The woman was his family. She was not. Yet Sora had spent over a whole week with her, preparing many surprises for her to bring her so much joy. Now he was prepared to sneak out of his house in the late hours of the night, going out into the dark when he was supposed to be tucked up in bed - just to make sure she would still get to have another wonderful trip out with him.

With the frown no longer spread on her face, Kairi lowered her head in shame. She was furious with herself for being annoyed at Sora for how long he was taking - even though she had been unable to control her emotions. She placed a hand onto her heart, feeling its steady beats as she made her across the room over to the couch, sitting down next to the teddy bear. She turned towards the stuffed animal with a gloomy gaze, and picked it up gently from where it sat in between herself and the figure of Amai, holding it out in front of her. It stared up at her with its beady black eyes, shooting her the same look it had first given to her when she had delightedly pulled it out of the box that had been covered pink wrapping paper and tied with red ribbon. Kairi couldn't help smiling at the happy memory of her fifth birthday, which Sora had made so special for her. With her free hand, she ran the tip of her finger smoothly over the bear's small head, imagining she was stroking Sora's brunette hair.

"Sora will come," she told herself softly. "I know he meant it when he said he would. He just has to sneak past his mother first. That won't be easy for him, but I know he'll do it. I just wish I knew how much longer he's gonna be."

The girl jerked upwards in fright as soon as she had finished speaking to herself, for the house was suddenly filled with the sound of the doorbell ringing. Turning her head quickly towards the door with eyes filled with excitement, Kairi grinned widely and jumped up happily to her feet. Her long wait for her hero was finally over.

She left the bear on the couch with the figure of Amai as she ran hurriedly to the door. Thrusting it open, she leapt at the boy standing outside on her doorstep - giving him a fright in the process and knocking the ball out of his hands - to throw her arms tightly around him. "_Sora!_"

Sora found he was bent backwards slightly in the girl's embrace - which he had done automatically as a result of seeing her unexpected launch herself at him - but he quickly recovered from his shock. He smiled down at Kairi as he straightened up, raising his arms to return the hug. The pain which his fall down the stairs had implanted into his left arm caused him to wince slightly, but he was not going to let it stop him from holding the special person he loved. He placed his arms gently around the princess, holding her warmly and grinning as some strands of her hair brushed lightly against his cheek - which began to burn madly with his other one as he felt her rest her head comfortably onto his shoulder.

After a short moment passed with nothing but silence, warmth and happiness shared between the two teenagers, Kairi lifted her head, keeping her arms around Sora as she sent a wide grin up at him. "So, you managed to sneak out of your house then, did you?"

"Yes, I did," Sora confirmed, nodding down at the girl as pride filled his grin. "It wasn't easy and it took me a while, but I managed to do it without getting caught."

Giggling loudly, finding it a little hard to believe that Sora had succeeded to creep out of his house when he was supposed to be asleep, Kairi broke the hug and tapped the boy playfully on his chest with her finger. "Sneaky sneakers!" she teased.

"Hey! I wasn't wearing any sneakers when I sneaked down the stairs!" Sora joined in the girl's laughing as he pointed down at his shoes, believing the name she had given him didn't suit him.

Once her laughing had stopped, Kairi grinned silently up at Sora. She was admiring the sight of how handsome he was with the thousands of twinkling stars high above him - then as she lowered her head, she noticed the ball resting on one side of her garden path. Since there was no light falling onto her lawn, she was unable to see it clearly and be able to tell what it was.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing down with a confused look towards where the ball sat on the grass in front of her house. "Did you bring that with you, Sora?"

Sora turned away from her, noticing instantly what she was addressing and sending a small smile down towards it. "Oh, this?" he exclaimed, stepping off the doorstep and picking the ball up from when it handed landed after Kairi had forced it out of his hands with her hug attack. He threw it up into the air, then as soon as it fell back into his hands, he tossed it into Kairi's. "I thought I'd take this with us. We'll be able to get to use with it where we're going. It'll make our night out more fun; we should be able to have a good laugh with-"

"_I remember this!_" Kairi interrupted with a delighted gasp, her eyes widening quickly as they filled up with recognition and amazement. The light glowing from her lounge and through the open doorway now covered the ball, making her able to take in its red colour and Sora's name written on it several times. Holding it in her hands and taking just one good, clear look at it had helped her to realize this was not the first time she had seen and held it. Her face had brightened up even more, for a lovely memory which she had long-forgotten was flying back through her head.

"You do?" Sora remarked, raising his eyebrows in surprise by the girl's reaction to the ball. He had not expected her to recognise it at all. She had only ever played with it twice in her life, both occasions being as far back as when they were five. It had been back in her hands for barely a few seconds - and the look on her face told him she was reminiscing the same memories he had gone through that night.

"You had this ball when you were little! I remember you took it with you to the smaller islands twice, and we spent those two days throwing it back and forth to each other!" Kairi was sending an enormous grin down to the ball in her hands. She was thinking back to the two days which she had spent standing on the shore of the smaller island, tirelessly catching the ball each time Sora threw it to her and happily hurling it through the air straight back to him. She lifted her head up slowly to shoot her expression at the boy, showing him how even more thrilled and excited she had now become. "I loved this ball, Sora! How come you never took out with you for us to play with it again?"

"Oh... Sorry, Kairi." Sora pulled a sheepish grin, feeling a little ashamed that he had never once brought the ball out for Kairi to play with again while they had still been toddlers. He felt gutted that he hadn't, for he would have had another way to make her feel so happy each time he saw her. "I didn't think you'd want to play with the ball that much. That's why I never brought it back out again for you. I never knew you loved it that much."

"Well, I did!" Kairi laughed, throwing the ball lightly back to Sora before pressing the nearby light switch for the lounge ceiling lamp. With her house now in complete darkness, she stepped outside of it, pulling the door shut firmly behind her. "And I'm gonna love playing with it again tonight!"

Sora held the ball he had caught in front of him in his hands, smiling delightedly as he watched Kairi take her keys out of her pouch to lock up the door. He was very pleased he had decided to take it with them on their late trip out. Learning that Kairi had loved it when they were toddlers would really add to the childish fun they were to begin in just a short while. He would also get to use that night to make up for having never given Kairi another chance to play something he owned which she had really adored.

"Are you ready, Kairi?" he asked hopefully.

Having just locked the door of the house and making sure it was secure, Kairi dropped the keys carefully into her pouch, then turned around on the doorstep to face Sora. She gave him a soft little grin as she stretched an arm out towards him, her hand open for him to take it. "Lead the way, sneaky sneakers!"

Sora pulled a crooked smirk, shaking his head in disbelief from what he had been called for a second time, as he rolled the ball to be held under his left arm (making sure not to place it on the sore part of his ribcage). "I snuck out for _you_, remember?" he reminded Kairi as he took her hand in his right one.

"I know," Kairi replied quietly, gazing up with twinkling blue eyes at boy who had kindly done so much for her, sending him a smile full of all the gratefulness she felt towards him. Her heart was beating so fast at the feeling of her hand in his. She gave it a small squeeze, her cheeks turning bright pink. "Thank you, Sora."

Sora was filled with deep euphoria just by seeing how delighted Kairi was, just by being about to go for a night out with him, which he was pleased was at last happening. Simply by looking at her smiling face, all the terror, devastation, heartbreak and stress he had been going through over the last week as a result of having cancer was at the back of his mind, leaving him in admiration for the beautiful girl before him. All he could think of was how lucky he had been to have this wonderful person around to be his best friend and make his life so happy - as well as full of determination to always be there for her. Of all the countless people he had met through the long sixteen-years of his life, there was not one of them he could feel for in the same way he did for Kairi. She was the one he loved so much, always feeling ready to make her happy, let her know how much he and others cared about her, as well as keep her protected from the slightest bit of danger or harm.

After squeezing Kairi's hand back gently, Sora turned away from her and led her down the garden path. With the grin remaining on his face as solid as concrete, he turned to his right once they standing on the sidewalk, pointing down towards the closer end of the dark street. "This way, Kairi! Don't go waking anyone up now! If you do, people might go knocking on my mom's door to complain - and I will be the one to get the blame!"

Kairi giggled as she allowed Sora to lead her past the dark houses, keeping hold of his hand tightly as she walked alongside him. As they passed under a streetlamp, she lifted her head to gaze with fascinated eyes up at the starry sky. Her face was full of amazement by how beautiful it was. Wherever Sora was taking her (which he clearly didn't want her to know just yet), she had been hinted by the presence of the ball that it was probably a place where they would be out in the open night air. A light, warm breeze blew past them and made its way through the street, giving her a feeling of how much she would love going for a trip out with Sora which would perhaps be under the stars. They were only just leaving home - and she could already tell in her heart that she was in for fun-filled late hours ahead. With a fraction of them involving playing with a ball from her hero's childhood - as well as there obviously being some other ways at the mystery location that she could have a fantastic time - Kairi knew she was going to wear herself out from all the heaps of enjoyment she was soon to have.

It was going to be a wonderful night out with Sneaky Sneakers.

* * *

**Most of what you just read wasn't originally planned for this chapter. It was gonna just have Sora simply turn up on Kairi's doorstep without any showing of him sneaking out of his house. But since that would be a very important part, since it was a result of these remaining trips out with Kairi changing from day to night, I felt I had to show it. I hope it still managed to interest you.**

**So yep! Where he's taking Kairi is gonna be a surprise for both her and you again - but there are quite a few hints throughout this chapter, with an even bigger one being a couple back. See if you can work it out before you find out in the next chapter - which I'm expecting will be a bit tough to write - but I'm determined to work hard on it so that you guys will enjoy it. :)**


	55. Foot Skills

**Hey guys. I'm really sorry it's been quite a while since the last update (as in, back in August). This chapter was really hard to write, so it took me a good length of time. And like the other recent chapters, it turned out to be longer than I expected. But I hope you still enjoy what happens in it.**

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"Can you guess where we're going yet, Kairi?"

As soon as she heard Sora's enthusiastic question, Kairi's ears perked up as she turned slowly from gazing softly over her shoulder, sending a puzzled expression towards where the boy was waiting for her. He had stopped a few paces ahead of where she had. He was watching her from within the glowing white light that was given off by a nearby wooden streetlamp, which made the wide, excited grin on his face appear to be even brighter. He lifted his arms upwards to throw the ball high above him into the air, and once it had fallen back down to be caught securely in his hands, he gently tossed it out towards where his best friend stood in the dark atmosphere.

Kairi caught the ball and held it out in front of her, looking down at it with confused eyes that were reading over the several spots where Sora's name had been written on it. She didn't have the faintest idea where he was leading her to. He had not taken her very far, and they were still surrounded by the familiar sights which they saw almost everyday. He had first guided her along the road that took them away from the estate where they lived - during which, she had been giggling a lot, due to the fact it was an hour when they were supposed to be in bed and there wasn't going to be anyone around for them to run into while they were walking together across the island. They were now - to her surprise and bemusement - on the path they always walked along twice every school day. Kairi had stopped when they had reached the top of the small hill (which they were still standing on) so as to gaze out where the smaller island stood in the dark ocean, wanting to observe what a beautiful picture it was at that hour. Seeing it being wonderfully illuminated by the stars - all using their twinkling reflections in the sea to surround it - had captivated the girl. Even though only one side of it was visible, every metre of its rocky cliffs that towered above the golden yellow sand of its beach was caught in the silver starlight which brightened it up completely. The smaller island looked far more magical than the bleak dark shapes which were closer to the two teenagers, given off by the trees and the sleeping houses of the posh estate below the hill.

By the time Sora had asked her his question, the sight of the smaller island below the stars had sent Kairi into an awed state - which he had snapped her out of. What he was interested to know led her to believe that the place where they were going to be enjoying themselves that night would be somewhere the path would reach. How far Sora intended to lead her along it and where the two of them were going to end up at, she didn't know.

Making the most of being clueless as to where she was being taken to, Kairi lifted her head to grin at her friend, throwing the ball back to him. "We're not going to school, are we, Sora?" she teased him. "'Cause I don't think we'd be able to get in there this time of the night."

Sora's expression instantly filled with shock, horror and disbelief, which had all been created together by what Kairi seemed to think he was planning. "_WHAT_? No way, Kairi! I'm not taking you to that horrible place!" His voice thundered into the night air as he shook his head rapidly. "I'm taking you out to have fun tonight! Not to learn stupid, pointless things!"

"Well..." As she responded to him, Kairi was trying her best to make the tone of her voice sound as innocent as she could, which was made difficult by the fact she couldn't help giggling over how Sora had reacted to her joke. She already knew that the place he wanted them to spend their night out at would not turn to be the school. She could see how desperate he was not to go anywhere near its front doors - whether they were locked or not - but her teasing wasn't going to end there. "Don't you think that _would_ be fun? You and me, sitting in a class room with no teachers or anyone else? Doing some arithmetic problems and reading those really long history books? Wouldn't you like that, Sora? That sounds like fun to you, right?"

From the way she had spoken to him - and due to the fact she was unable to keep her soft, adorable laughter under control - Sora realized that Kairi was not being serious about what she had just asked him and was only playing around with his mind. He placed his hand onto his hip as he gave her a stunned look. He was a bit shocked over how she had just taken the chance to make fun of him - but he was more than willing to let her if it meant making her laugh. She was only harmlessly having some fun with him, and she was still the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful person ever, with an enormous heart that contained ever-lasting care and selflessness that she would always show to others who needed her without even thinking of what she needed for herself. Sora wanted her to be given everything that would make her happy. Even though she had only been joking when implying that a visit to their school that night would be fun for them, he would have been prepared to take her there without questioning if it really had been what she wanted. His love for her was far stronger than his hate for school, and he was certain the two of them would indeed enjoy themselves by being there with nobody else around. Doing some work with her - and her alone - without any teachers to order them about or other pupils to fill the classroom with their chattering would make a night out at the school lovely for him. Just by having Kairi there to make him happy, fun would be brought to the place that tortured him so much each school day.

As she had explained, however, they were not going to be able get inside the school that night - and even if they were, it was not what he had planned ahead for them. He was going to take her somewhere he hoped she would enjoy herself far more than in school. With no intention of changing his idea, he marched forward down the short hill, throwing the ball up in the air and grinning at Kairi as she followed him. "Well, Kairi, that would mean doing work, and we're supposed to be having fun. Besides, we're on summer vacation, which is the time to not even think about school."

"Alright, if you say so, Sora," Kairi said, rolling her eyes in amusement as she walked quicker along the path to stay at Sora's side. "I just thought you would have liked to spend a bit of your summer vacation getting a little extra education for yourself. I could have even been a teacher while we were there and taught _you _something."

Sora scoffed and shook his head disbelievingly at Kairi - then as he turned to look ahead of them, he suddenly raised an arm to point out excitedly at something before them along the path. "Kairi!" he cried to her in delight. "Look what's down there!"

Surprised greatly by Sora's unexpected surge of amazement, Kairi turned quickly to look curiously towards where he was pointing at - only to frown slightly when she realized how difficult it was to see further into the pitch blackness. The familiar sights along the path had been engulfed almost completely by the deep darkness, and the wooden streetlamps were not illuminating the area very well. As she proceeded to walk forward along the path with Sora, Kairi squinted in an attempt to see what the boy seemed easily able to, taking a few more steps before stopping in the light of the next streetlamp before them. Now realizing how far they had walked and able to see more easily what had sent Sora into an instant state of excitement, Kairi stood beside him within the glowing light that showered them. Her expression had filled with interest over what she was gazing at by night - but also with a bit of puzzlement.

It was the soccer field which the path always led them past each exhausting weekday morning when they would be making their way sleepily to school, passing it again later when they would be returning home. The two teenagers' could see the back of one of the goal posts, which was secured into the ground a few metres away from where they were standing underneath the streetlamp. As they both turned to peer as hard as could through the darkness and towards the opposite end of the long, green pitch, they were just about able to recognise the small, dark, rectangular shape that the other goal was giving off. The last time Kairi had seen the soccer field had been when she, Sora and Nikkou had flown over it in the hot air balloon. She had also learnt from the boy's mother while gazing down at it from above that he and Riku had played there during their toddler years - which she had never gotten a chance to do with them, as they had abandoned the field completely for her when she had arrived on the islands and into their lives.

"Is this where you're taking me, Sora?" she asked, gazing up at the boy in a small amount of confusion. She was rather doubtful that the soccer field happened to be the place where Sora had been planning to lead her to that night. The way he had just reacted to it wasn't how he had when they had first seen each one of the surprises he had prepared for her over the past number of days.

"I didn't have it in mind, Kairi," Sora explained. He turned away from the large sporting pitch to send the grin which was widening across his face down at his best friend. He took the ball out from under his right arm, holding it up in front of Kairi for her to look at it. "But since we're here, we might as well have a bit of fun here. We've got the whole night ahead of us!"

Knowing what he was using the ball to suggest to her, Kairi's face lit up even brighter in the light from the streetlamp, for she was instantly eager to go ahead with what Sora had just thought of. She was about to tell him happily how brilliant it would be for them to play soccer together in the middle of the night - but she ended up having all the delight she was feeling wiped from her face instead; Sora had just begun to sprint away from her and onto the field with the ball still in his hands. Left standing in complete bafflement, she remained where she was and watched him charge through the darkness on the pitch, realizing that the fun they were to have was beginning sooner than they had both thought.

Sora was racing at his highest speed across the halfway line when he let the ball fall from his hands and land in front of his pounding feet. Without stopping, he began dribbling it skilfully along the grass. His eyes were focused determinedly on the goal ahead of him which was becoming clearer in view. His heart hammered inside his chest. He was readying himself to use all his energy to shoot the ball to the back of the net. Despite there being no other players on the pitch who were out to stop him, he was fixing all his concentration on the goal he was about to score.

Once he had raced over the longest white line of the penalty box, Sora kicked the ball as hard as he could towards the goal, then propelled himself into the air with a triumphant cheer as soon as it struck the back of the net. Fisting his hands, he joyfully bent his arms up and down in a dance of celebration, proud of himself for just scoring a very easy goal. He had completely blanked the fact that it hadn't been a challenge for him to do without any other players to try and stop him. The way he was feeling with himself was very similar to how he would each time he'd scored against Riku (who would be his only opponent in the games of soccer they would play at the field when they were toddlers).

The ball had just rolled slowly out from where he had kicked it into, stopping within the penalty box. Noticing it, Sora stopped celebrating and quickly kicked it to the back of the net again, letting off another cry over his second moment of success in a row. He began bending his arms up and down again, turning around joyfully as he once again did his victory dance - to discover that Kairi was standing right behind him. She was staring at him with a stunned, wide-eyed look that had been brought on by his behaviour, but he didn't think to ask her why. His grin grew even wider as his happiness increased. Scoring two goals - one straight after the other - had been a fantastic thing for him to do, but it was even more fantastic for him to do them right in front of the girl he loved.

"Did you that, Kairi?" Sora cried loudly to her in all of the cheeriness he felt. "I just scored two awesome goals! Did you see them? They were very easy for me to score!"

Kairi gazed at him in the same baffled state for a few seconds longer - then she began to burst into loud laughter. "Well that's because there's nobody in the goal, Sora! Don't you know there has to be a goalkeeper there to try and stop you from scoring?"

"Well, yeah." As he ceased his dance, Sora fisted his hands and placed them onto his hips, the grin he was showing the girl curling into a smug smile. He didn't feel challenged by what she had just pointed out, believing he could simply dismiss it away. "But there _wasn't _anyone to stop me, Kairi. That's how I managed to score those brilliant goals."

"Alright then!" With a wide grin of her own now, Kairi marched swiftly past Sora and strode into the goal. She turned around so that her back was to the net and stood confidently on the goal line, kicking the ball out to send it rolling towards the boy. "Let's see if you can still score so brilliantly when someone's here to block your shots!"

The challenge she had just decided for him to take wiped the smirk instantly from Sora's face, his expression quickly filling with horror. As he began to picture in panic what Kairi wanted him to do without questioning him, he turned to gape fearfully over his shoulder at her, seeing that she was waiting readily for him in the goal with her hands held up open in front of her. Having never seen her play soccer before (even though she and the other girls at their school sometimes did in physical education, as did he and the boys), he didn't know how good her goalkeeping skills were. He didn't want to shoot the ball as hard as he could in her direction, as he was afraid he would make it strike and hurt her. He wasn't sure if she would be able to catch the ball safely in her hands and stop him from scoring, but he knew that shooting with such force would be putting her at risk of getting hit. Harming the girl he loved was something he _never_ wished to do, and he didn't think she was even aware that she was putting herself in such a risk.

"Come on, Sora!" Kairi called impatiently to him. She was waiting eagerly for him to kick the ball towards where she was standing, certain she could stop it from getting past her. "Just boot the ball as hard as you can and see if you can score against me!" She let off a giggle. "Which you probably won't!"

Sora sent his fearful look towards Kairi for a few more seconds before letting his worried eyes fall onto the ball, which was sitting a little further in front of his feet on the grass. He was terrified of the thought of using his foot to shoot it out where Kairi was happily standing. He didn't know if she would attempt to leap out of its way or bravely stay where she was to try stopping it from flying into the back of the net. What he was certain of, however, that it would crash into her hard enough to cause her to feel pain, which would be given completely unintentionally to her by him.

"Sora!" Kairi's tone was now filled with frustration as she yelled to him from the goal, frowning slightly in annoyance. "What are you waiting for? Just kick the ball!"

Sora jerked his head upwards in fright at the sound of the girl's loud voice, his stomach tensing up tightly as he hesitantly faced her in vastly-growing panic. He could see that she was getting fed up of just watching him do nothing, and despite his fear of kicking the ball at her, he found he was unable to get the words out of his mouth to tell her what he was fretting over. Feeling as though he had to go through with what she was ordering him, but determined not to hurt her, Sora tapped the ball with his foot as weakly as he could. It rolled slowly a couple of yards along the grass before coming to a complete stop within the penalty box, failing to even reach where Kairi was standing.

With even more bafflement in her head now over how Sora was suddenly not making as much effort to score any goals, the girl sent her frown towards where the ball sat. She had been expecting him to kick it in her direction with all the power in his foot, trying - and wanting - to get it past her. Thinking little of it though, she smiled with a shake of her head as she walked over to the ball, picking it up from the ground to throw it back towards Sora. "You're gonna have to do _much_ better than, Sora!" she called to him, holding her hands up again in case the ball was about to fly towards her. "C'mon! Show me what a brilliant soccer player you say you are!"

After the ball had bounced along the ground and rolled to a stop before his feet, Sora lifted his head full of worry up to gaze at Kairi again. She was waiting eagerly for him to shoot the ball towards her in such tremendous force, seemingly not realizing that it would hurt if it struck her. He was not prepared to send her any pain. Looking down at the ball again, he gave it another weak tap with his foot towards Kairi, with barely any more power than the small amount that had been in his last kick.

Kairi's hands fell to her sides as she watched disbelievingly as the ball stopped even further away her from than it had the previous time it was supposed to have flown towards her. She was confused and aggravated by Sora's sudden change of attitude. It had been his idea for them to play together on the soccer field in the first place, and just before she had joined him on it, he had been happily kicking his ball into the goal again and again while there was no one there to stop him. Once she had decided to be the goalkeeper who would try to block his shots, he was no longer in his playful mood, nor did he seem keen for them to enjoy themselves with the ball. Kairi didn't know that Sora was fretting over what could happen if he kicked the ball as hard as he could in her direction. Her own mood was starting to change from excitement over the night to irritation over how Sora was not making the effort for her to have the fun he had promised her.

"Sora..." she began huffily, shooting the frown on her face up from the ball to where Sora was standing. The frustration in her expression quickly erased when she realized in horror that the boy was looking very troubled. The thrill she had been going through over trying to keep him from scoring goals had been what had stopped her from noticing his newly-low mood sooner. Feeling terrible for only discovering now how unhappy the boy was, Kairi walked worriedly out of the goal and stood before him. She gazed up sadly at him in her concern, lifting a hand to place it gently onto his cheek. "Are you alright?"

The sound of Kairi's soft voice and the tender feeling of her hand on his cheek caused Sora to jerk upwards, surprised. He had been staring down at the spot on the ground where he had kicked the ball from, so he hadn't noticed the girl making her way up to stand in front of him. He took in her upset expression, locking his eyes with hers. She was so beautiful, so selfless, so kind, so pure-hearted. There was no way he would ever want to bring the slightest bit of harm to her, or allow anything from all the worlds to try to do the same.

"I just ... don't wanna hurt you, Kairi," he explained to her faintly, letting his face fall from hers to look down in misery at the darkened grass.

"Hurt me?" Kairi's eyes narrowed a little in puzzlement over what Sora had told her, for she didn't understand how their game would lead to what he was fearing. "How would you hurt me, Sora? All you'd be doing is trying to kick the ball to get it past me and in the goal."

"Yeah - and I could end up making it hit you." As he lifted his head to gaze at her again, Kairi saw that Sora's expression was filled with deep fear. He clearly had a picture in his mind of what he had told her he was fretting over, which had taken a terrible effect on his once excited mood. "I don't wanna do that to you, Kairi. I can't risk doing that."

After a blink of surprise upon learning why Sora was afraid he was going to hurt her, Kairi gave him a sympathetic, warm smile and caressed his cheek gently with her thumb. "Sora, you're not gonna hit me with the ball," she assured him softly. "Either I'll be able to catch it in my hands - or I'll end up jumping the wrong way and you'll shoot it in the goal. You won't hit me with it, and you won't end up hurting me either."

Sora felt the nerves in his stomach begin to tremble as the careful stroking of Kairi's thumb turned his cheeks bright red. She was making him unable to speak again, so he found he couldn't get any more words out of how he was still not confident he would be able to make the ball fly in her direction without hitting her. It was very rare that the girl's sweet, kind words were not enough to comfort him - and the reason why they were failing to work that moment was because he was worried for her own safety, which she didn't seem to be giving much thought towards.

As she continued to run her thumb slowly over his cheek, Kairi could tell that she was not succeeding to put Sora's fear to an end. Although she felt very moved that he just wanted to avoid harming her, she was now saddened that her efforts to make him feel happy again were not working. She held her smile, however, certain that what he was worrying over wouldn't happen. "You won't hurt me, Sora. I promise you won't."

Sora found that all he could do was just take in Kairi's smiling expression, unable to believe how willing she was to risk getting hit by the ball. Even if she was only thinking little of it, the thought of her getting hurt at all - no matter if the injury was only minor and lasted for just a short time - always horrified him. He wouldn't be fast enough to stop the ball from striking her once he had kicked it, and although she perhaps wouldn't be in pain for more than five minutes, he would feel terrible for hurting the little angel he loved.

Determined to prove to Sora that he had nothing to worry about, Kairi turned away from him to walk through the penalty box, stopping for a moment when she had reached where the ball had rolled up to and kicking it back to her frightened friend. She made her way up to the goal line and spun around to be facing the boy again. Her assuring smile was still on her face as she held up her hands defensively in front of her again. "Come on, Sora," she told him. "Just kick that ball as hard as you can and you'll get it past me."

After watching her return to the spot on the pitch where she was in risk of getting hit, Sora looked down towards where the ball had rolled up the grass after she had kicked it towards him. He was beginning to wish he hadn't taken it out with them. It had been supposed add to the fun of the place on the island he was to be leading Kairi to that night - but now all it was doing was making the girl want to play a game that would lead to it perhaps hurting her. She was not giving him a choice, however, so what he had to do now was shoot the ball skilfully enough to get it past her and into the back of the net instead of crashing into her. He took a few steps back and focused worriedly on the goal ahead of him, looking past Kairi and not noticing how excited she was becoming to glue his eyes on the back of the net's upper corner on his left. He decided if he aimed to send the ball flying in a particular section of the goal - which would hopefully be too high for Kairi to reach, even if she made a jump - he would be able to make it avoid hitting her.

With all his excitement over being a good soccer player now completely gone and replaced with hope that he would not harm his friend, Sora swallowed, then began to charge as fast as he could along the grass towards where the ball sat. As he sprinted, he tried to keep his eyes fixed to corner of the goal's net he wanted the ball to strike instead of Kairi. With his fear being uncontrollable, however, it led him to squeezing his terror-filled eyes shut the moment he stopped running to kick the ball in all his force towards the goal. His heart seemed to stop as he froze in his horror, realizing that taking his focus off his target meant that he could have sent the ball to hit Kairi. As the panic he was going through grew even worse, Sora kept his eyes locked firmly shut as the nerve-wreaking seconds of the ball flying in the girl's direction dragged on. His body tensed up as he waited in torture for her cries of pain to reach him from the goal.

"Woohoo!"

The sound which he heard Kairi make led to all the terror in Sora's face being washed away instantly to be replaced with surprise, as it was not what he had been expecting her to let out. Opening one puzzled eye, he saw that she was still standing on the goal line, holding the ball triumphantly above her head with a cheerful, delighted look on her face. She had managed to catch it in mid-air and save it from hitting the net, and since it had not struck her, she was clearly not feeling the slightest bit of pain.

Deeply relieved that he had not managed to hurt the girl he loved, Sora sighed thankfully, letting all the tension he had been building up leave his body as he opened his other eye. No longer stiffened and now feeling relaxed instead of frightened, he smiled softly towards the joyful Kairi. He was actually very pleased that she had stopped him from scoring. It showed that she was able to avoid letting herself get hit by a ball he had sent flying to her - and she had also proved herself to be a very good goalkeeper, too.

"See, Sora? You didn't hit me!" Kairi called over to him. Glad to see how much happier he now was, she smiled towards him whilst throwing the ball upwards into the air, then let off a small giggle as she caught it in her hands. "And if you'd just kept your eyes open, you could've gotten it past me and scored a goal. I know you think you're a brilliant soccer player, but brilliant soccer players know it's silly to try scoring with their eyes shut."

Now that he was feeling like himself again, Sora smirked towards the girl upon hearing her tease him. He marched forward confidently to join her on the goal line, standing alongside her and nodding towards where he had shot the ball from, his eyes not leaving her. "Alright then, Kairi. Let's see how good _you _are then at trying to score against me. I bet I'd be able to save every one of your goals."

"Well then, your goalkeeping skills had better be better than your shooting ones," Kairi laughed, eager to accept the challenge she had just been given. She marched out of the goal and away from the boy, carrying the ball in her hands.

Sora braced himself by tensing up his body, watching Kairi make her way up to the painted white circle in the penalty box. Once she had placed the ball down onto it and was standing right behind it to face him, he grinned confidently towards her. His widened eyes followed her as she took a few steps backwards to be able to begin her penalty with a short sprint. His arms raised up in front of him with open hands, which were ready to catch the ball when it would soar towards him.

"Kick it as hard as you can, Kairi!" he called to her. "Don't be afraid that you won't be able to get it past me once! We're just doing this for a bit of fun, so it doesn't matter if you don't score one g-"

Sora's mocking was cut off in sudden surprise, for the next thing he knew was that the ball was flying past his head and into the goal. His grin disappeared, replaced with a highly stunned look on his face as he watched Kairi stretch her arms victoriously above her head. He had been too busy joking to her that he was unbeatable to realize when she had been taking her energetic shot against him. He listened in disbelief to the thrilled, happy cheers she was letting off, knowing it had been his own silliness that had led him to letting her score the goal he was supposed to block.

"C'mon, Sora. You can't be chatting to your opponents in soccer," Kairi reminded him, lowering her arms from the air and shooting the wide, proud grin on her face towards the goalkeeper she had just triumphed over. "You gotta try and stop them from scoring or they'll beat you."

With the girl's words snapping him out of his baffled state, Sora shook his head to get rid of all the stupidity he was feeling. He looked down with a smirk at the ball (which had rolled up to sit alongside his foot after striking the net) and kicked it out swiftly to Kairi before lifting his hands to prepare to block off the goal successfully this time. As Kairi often enjoyed games where the two of them would compete against each other, he wasn't going to just let her beat him for a second time. He was pleased that she was clearly enjoying herself on the soccer field with him - although he couldn't help feeling taken aback a little over how she had just called herself his opponent. Hearing Kairi refer to herself as a negativity towards him didn't fail to disturb him, even though he was aware she just meant they were only opponents through the penalties she wanted to score against him.

_Kairi isn't being serious,_ Sora thought desperately, trying to assure himself he didn't need to worry as he watched the girl step backwards from the ball, getting ready to shoot it in his direction. _She's just talking about the game._ _She doesn't mean we really are opponents ... although I wish she hadn't called herself that. She never will be my opponent. She's my best friend and the one I lo-_

Sora's racing thoughts were stopped abruptly as - once again - the ball flew past him to strike the back of the goal's net. His eyes widened quickly in returning shock, for he realized he had allowed Kairi to score against him twice in a row. Unable to believe he had let the same mistake happen again, he watched her as she cheerfully danced in celebration. He felt just as stunned as he had after her previous penalty against him had been an equally-easy success. She had taken the lead in their game - and she was clearly enjoying being ahead of him, too.

"Stop letting me win, Sora!" Kairi giggled, ceasing her dance and fisting her hands to place them onto her hips. She shook her head in disbelief at the shocked boy, wanting him to at least attempt to defend the goal from her shots. "You know I don't like it when you lose on purpose for me to win! I want you to try and win yourself and prove to be a challenge for me! Show me what a brilliant soccer player you say you are..." She paused to giggle again. "...Or are you just brilliant when there's no one else around to beat you?"

What the girl had jokingly implied caused Sora's shock to increase a little, only for him to push it all aside as he built his determination up, deciding that it was time to stop letting her score past him. He kicked the ball out to her whilst shooting her a sneer, wanting it to tell her that the game wasn't going to be so easy for her now. He wasn't going to just stand there any more and let her score penalty after penalty. She was about to face the challenge she wanted. This would allow her to learn what a skilled soccer player he thought he was (despite the fact he had very small experience at being a goalkeeper).

He looked focused. He looked prepared to defend the goal. He certainly looked like he was no longer going to let her win. Kairi let off a few more giggles, which were now over the new attitude Sora had taken towards her, and picked up the ball to place it down onto the white circle. As she took a few steps back to prepare to shoot it with her foot again, she gazed in amusement towards her opponent. He was watching her with arms stretched outwards, his mind clearly fixed now on trying to stop the ball from flying into the goal. She was now going to have a challenge against her at last - and she felt certain that she was going to be able to score past him yet again, no matter how brilliant a soccer player he claimed he was.

Ready as always to triumph over the boy, Kairi took off quickly towards the ball, then kicked it as hard as she could with all of her foot power. It lifted from the ground and charged through the air towards the goal, aiming to strike the net without getting caught by Sora.

It might have been because he was now concentrating on the game they were playing, but to Sora, everything seemed to be happening in slow-motion as he focused on the ball soaring towards him. It was taking forever to reach him, but he was glad of that, for he had all the time he needed to make sure he would save it. As it came closer to him, he realized as he studied its path that it was about to fly past his left side, which was all it would have to do to grant Kairi another goal scored.

Not willing to let her get even further ahead of him, Sora - with his eyes still fixed to his target - bent his knees and launched himself to his left, stretching his arms out as far as he could towards the moving ball. The slow speed time had seemed to take for him did not go any quicker, so he felt as if he was floating on his side through the air instead of being about to take a fall to the ground. Not caring about this, he held his open hands out in the path of the ball - and closed them around it quickly the moment he managed to successfully catch it. With the penalty Kairi had taken against him now saved, Sora let out a loud, delighted cheer of victory - which was quickly cut off and replaced with a cry as he landed roughly on his side onto the hard ground, the ball remaining in his hands.

"Aww!" Kairi cried in defeat, a little surprised and disappointed that Sora had succeeded to stop her from scoring three goals in a row. She looked down at the goalkeeper as he lay on the grass, not letting how he had (for once) kept her from scoring get her down as she sent him a praising grin. "Well done, Sora. I'm glad you didn't let me win that time. You saved the ball pretty well, though I'm not still sure if you are as brilliant as you say you are!"

Though he heard the girl compliment him whilst teasing him at the same time, Sora found that instead of being able to reply, he could only wince and groan softly in pain. The side of his body which he had landed on was the same one he fallen onto when he had been sliding down the staircase of his house that night. The aches which the stairs had given him were still there, and although they had been gradually fading since he had left his house, hitting the ground on his sore side just now had brought them back up to a high and discomforting level. He took his right hand off the ball to rub where his injuries were without getting up, forgetting to even think of how he was going to explain to Kairi why he was suddenly in slight agony.

Observing Sora remain on his side, making sounds which told her he was in pain, quickly led Kairi to begin frantically worrying about him. With her face filling with panic, she urgently raced to where he lay and dropped to her knees in front of him, fear and deep sadness building up inside of her to see her best friend hurt. She gently rested a hand onto his right upper arm. "Sora! What's the matter? Are you alright?"

Sora halted his groans upon hearing Kairi speak hurriedly to him in alarm. He lifted his head from the ground to lock unhappy gazes with her. The upset expression upon her face made him feel terrible for causing her to stress herself out over him. He knew that he could not tell her the reason why landing on his side when saving the ball had hurt him. No matter how much he hated keeping things from her, telling her that he had fallen down the stairs whilst he had been sneaking out of his house to meet her would only horrify her even further. It would highly likely cause her to think in shock of how the fall could have killed him - which would then remind her of how she was likely to lose him forever in only four days. Having the terrifying future in her mind when they were supposed to be spending the present night having fun would devastate her and rip her heart to shreds once again - which Sora was not going to allow to happen. He would have to avoid mentioning the fall down the stairs, even if it meant being dishonest with her.

"I'm okay, Kairi," he grunted, propping himself up with his left hand and giving the worried girl an assuring grin. "I'm fine. I just hurt myself a bit when I landed on the ground. I'm more used to shooting balls into goals than trying to stop them going in."

"You sure you're okay, Sora?" Though Kairi's tone had softened, the level of concern she was speaking in hadn't changed. She could see that he was still clutching the side of his body which he had fallen onto to, which made her wonder how hard he had hit the ground to be in such agony. "You look like you've really hurt yourself."

"It'll fade away by the time we get to the place we're going." Bending his legs, Sora pushed himself to be kneeling right in front of her. Taking in her beautiful face which was full of sadness over him, he knew he had to keep her mind off the pain he was feeling, which she didn't know had actually been brought _back _to him that moment rather than only just being given to him.

Having the perfect way to distract her, he picked up the ball from where it was sitting on the ground and held it up in front of her, giving her a genuine grin of smugness. "And it was just as well for me to do that dive, 'cause I managed to stop you from scoring!"

Kairi shook her head - which now had all the worry she had been feeling over Sora cleared out completed - and smiled softly at him, getting up from her knees to be standing again before reaching down with a hand towards him. "I still beat you though," she stated. "Because _you _didn't score one goal against me! I think it's pretty obvious who the winner is. And she managed to beat someone who claims to be a brilliant soccer player."

"I _am _a brilliant soccer player!" Sora joked, laughing as he took hold of her hand and let her pull him to his feet. He began to lead her back towards the path beside the pitch, throwing the ball up in the air as he walked and catching it without turning away from her. "I just haven't played in a while. If you'd seen how I would thrash Riku here all those years ago, then you'd come to appreciate how brilliant I am."

"If you really are brilliant, Sora, then I must be _mega_ brilliant!" Kairi giggled as she followed the boy onto the path. She remained by his side once again as they continued their journey through the dark. With each step, they left the soccer field further behind. The pitch blackness which surrounded them did not darken Kairi's mood. Having highly enjoyed playing a round of penalties against Sora, she was looking forward even more to find out where he had planned for them to visit that night. "Perhaps it's just as well you and Riku never asked me to play soccer with you when we were little; I'd have beaten you both every time, even if it was you two against me!"

Sora turned to gaze at Kairi for a few seconds with a disbelieving smirk over how she was clearly enjoying herself by mocking his soccer skills, then peered out again at the darkened path they were following. As his eyes adjusted to the blackened distance ahead of them, he saw - to his slight horror as his smile disappeared - that the vague silhouette of a large, tall building was standing a little way ahead of them, slightly to the left. Even though he was looking out at the side of it, he didn't need any light at all to tell him which building this was.

He quickly learned that Kairi was easily able to recognise it as well - from the loud, sudden cry she let off as she shot an arm up from her side to point out urgently towards it. "Oh look, Sora! There's where you wanted to go, isn't it?"

Wanting to be standing closer to the building (despite knowing her best friend wouldn't), Kairi shot off suddenly towards it as fast as she could along the path, leaving behind a stunned Sora as she sprinted even deeper into the darkness. Her eyes were focused on the enormous dark shape ahead, which began to tower over her as she approached it at a hasty speed. She was grinning widely to herself at the bleak sight of it, feeling a little excited over the fact she was standing near it at such a late hour in the night. Everybody else who would come here regularly was now asleep in bed. The only person there with her to see it at night was Sora, and she was aware - to her amusement - that he would not want them to stay there for very long.

Once she had raced halfway alongside the front of the building, Kairi stopped where she was to turn herself towards it. Her eyes filled with amazement as they observed the huge, silent shape before her, then strained as they locked onto the very centre of it. She knew that was where the locked main entrance was, and also that even if she and Sora were able to pass through it together, they would only find themselves lost within the darkness of the inside. Her grin softening, she lifted her head to peer up at a higher section of the front wall. The blackness which had crept over it completely made all of the hundreds of classroom windows impossible to see. The school had been given a new image by being deserted at night, instead of being flooded with pupils and staff that kept it active during the broad light of school days. Kairi knew it was not where Sora intended to take her. Even if it wasn't closed for the summer (rather than just for the night), it would never be his idea of a place on the islands where they could both enjoy themselves. She was still highly eager to find out where they were about to spend their night out at - but a few seconds to take in the school in the darkness wouldn't hurt him at all.

In the midst of a very deep gaze towards the building, Kairi sensed Sora approaching her from where she had left him. Turning her head quickly away from the school, her eyes lightened as she spotted him making his way along the path, passing under the light of another streetlamp before proceeding through the darkness. Once he had rejoined her, he stood beside her and threw the ball up into the air, catching it in his hands without taking his eyes off her. He tilted his head to nod in the direction they were heading.

"You ready to go now, Kairi?" he asked hopefully.

The girl chuckled and raised a hand to point towards the empty school, not resisting another chance to tease him over what she had pretended to suggest earlier. "Are you sure you don't wanna go in there now, Sora? 'Cause I bet we could find a open window which we could climb through! Then we can read all those textbooks to your heart's content!"

Not being fooled by her joke this time, Sora shook his head whilst stepping hurriedly past her, making a gentle but firm grab of her hand as he did, then began to continue his way down the path, pulling the girl quickly away from the building. "I'm not letting you stick your head in _any_ textbook, Kairi," he informed her persistently. "I'm not taking you there for our fun night out. You may not mind going to school, but I'm pretty sure you'll love where we're going far more than spending all night trying to teach yourself boring things."

Being taken away from the school by the boy who hated it so much made Kairi giggle happily. She didn't mind how stubborn he was being, which she found to be funny and amusing. She had never really wanted to make him go into the school when he didn't want to, knowing he would rather go to the mystery place he had in mind - which he was selflessly taking her to at such a late hour, just to make sure she would have fun and his sincere promise to her would be kept. Kairi knew that no matter how much of a wonderful time she could tell she was soon to have, it would not lead her to forget to thank the boy and tell him how much she appreciated his never-ending generosity and kindness he was putting towards her once again. Having him there with her would make the night out they were sharing together so magical for her.

"Have we got much further to go, Sora?" she asked curiously, letting off a few more hearty laughs from being guided further down the path by her hero, leaving the school behind them to disappear into the darkness.

"Just up this way, Kairi."

As the boy turned to grin over his shoulder at her without stopping, Kairi found that not only was he now steering her slightly to their left, but through the soles of her shoes, she could feel the ground beginning to slope upwards. A little confused by this, she lowered her head to see that her feet was still treading along the path. As she started to lift it back up, the corner of her eye caught onto a small glowing light from a tall streetlamp which loomed over the dark shapes of another housing estate, which was a small distance away from them on their right. She sent her surprised gaze onto it, realizing she was being made to follow the section of the path she had never walked along before, having always stopped herself from going any further whenever she reached the school. Knowing they had just taken the left where the path split into a junction she had seen from the hot air balloon, she observed the nearby silhouettes of the sleeping houses on their right. She had gone back to thinking gleefully of how all the other residents on the island were asleep were she and Sora were wide awake, travelling across it together - and she was far too lost in her thoughts to notice what they were approaching.

Having gone back to looking ahead of them, Sora smiled to himself at the sight of their destination before them. It filled his entire eyeline, everything that made it such a wonderful place to be being lit up in the moonlight to make it appear even more welcoming. The path they had been following for the past thirty minutes led right through its entrance. He stopped in front of it before turning to face Kairi to ask her what she thought of being at the place he had taken her to - only his pleased expression to disappear in bafflement. She was staring down at the housing estate, not realizing they had reached the top of the hill, nor had she noticed that her surprise was directly in front of her.

"We're here, Kairi," Sora told her, squeezing her hand gently to get her to focus on what he wanted her to see. He raised a hand to gesture out ahead of him. "Your surprise is not down there. It's here."

The boy's voice easily managed to succeed to snap Kairi out of her thoughts. Taking in with alert what he had informed her, she turned her head quickly away from the dark estate below them - and the moment her eyes fell onto what was in front of her, they widened immediately in delight. They began to twinkle as softly and as beautifully as the stars, which were helping her to see clearly everything of what Sora had just surprised her with.

He had taken her to the playground they had seen from the hot air balloon; the very one which he had told her he had visited a lot with Nikkou when he was a toddler, as well as asking the girl on the same day if she would like him to take her there. In the very centre of the rubber mulch covered ground (which was surrounded entirely by the wooden fencing), she saw the colourful climbing frame standing there. It looked very inviting in the silver light which illuminated it completely, making her want to charge towards it as fast as she could, climb onto it and send herself happily down the slide. Feeling as excited as she would have most likely been if she had ever visited the playground when she was younger, Kairi eagerly ran her joy-filled eyes over the rest of the playground equipment. The green roundabout was closest to them, secured in the lower left corner of the fenced area, whilst the pair of swings hung from their red frame that stood to the left of the climbing frame, the blue see-saw visible a few metres behind them. All by itself at the right of the playground, towering over the rest of the equipment, was the very tall basketball net. The memory how Sora had explained to her how he had never managed to throw a ball into it faded into the back of Kairi's amazed mind.

High above the two teenagers, the full moon loomed over them in the clear night sky, joined by the thousands of glistening stars that were helping it to light up the playground. They were all working together to brighten the area of the main island which Sora had led Kairi to, allowing her to take in how much of a beautiful place she was going to be spending her fun night out in was.

Turning her head slowly away from the playground, Kairi gazed at the boy who had surprised her with it, the heaps of astoundment, delight and happiness which he had managed to bring to her yet again visible in her face. She shot him a wide grin of gratefulness, now thinking of how all the wonderful fun she was to share with him was about to begin. "This is where we're going tonight?"

"I did ask you if you would like to come here at all, Kairi," Sora chuckled, placing his free hand onto the gate in front of them and pushing out to hold it open for Kairi to enter. "You said you would, so here we are to enjoy ourselves - all night long!"

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**I'm hoping you guys managed to find this chapter humorous. :) It contains a lot of things that we saw in chapter forty-five, one of which being the soccer field. Unlike most guys, I'm actually not a fan of soccer (or football, as we call it in the UK). I don't follow it, nor do I play it. But since I put a soccer field on the route to the playground, I thought it would be fun to make Sora and Kairi take penalties against each other. I also thought it would be funny to make Kairi a far better player than Sora. But I had to be realistic and make him save at least one goal against her. Just one though. :P**

**And so in the next chapter, they'll be spending it in the park - at night. I'll try my best to make it cute, happy and fun - as well as not to let my busy schedule make the next update as long to wait for as this one.**


	56. Trip Back in Time

**Okay, I know you guys have had to wait a long time for this chapter. I'm sorry about that. Your wait has in fact been a lot longer than it was originally intended to be.**

**But I have a very good reason for that! I'll explain at the end of this chapter. For now, just read on. :)**

* * *

With her heart fluttering as it quickly filled with delight over where Sora had taken her, Kairi beamed brightly at her selfless hero - before charging through the entrance he was holding open for her

As her feet began to pound along the mulch-covered ground, her wide eyes fixed onto the climbing frame that stood in the centre of the playground. It had barely taken her a few seconds to decide it was going to be the first piece of fun-filled equipment she was going to play on that night. She hurriedly rounded the colourful structure, skidding to a stop at its one end to find she was standing before the wooden board used for climbing onto it. She observed the two virtual lines of holes that had been cut out from it, which were going to help her pull herself up onto it.

The grin which was spread across Kairi's face filled with readiness as she placed her feet into the two holes at the bottom of the board - only to take them out quickly as she began to climb. She was feeling as excited and joyful as she believed she would have been if she had ever visited the playground with Sora when they were both small. Once she had easily made her way up to the top of the board, she pulled herself onto the steel platform. It clanged loudly under her feet as she charged forward to stand on one end of the yellow bridge, which would led her to the where the top of the slide was.

Turning her head as she stood on the bridge, Kairi gazed cheerfully down to where she had left Sora behind on the ground. She saw that whilst she had been taking herself onto the piece of equipment she was standing on, all he had done was take a few steps towards it - letting the gate swing shut behind him - and had left the ball to rest by the fence. He was below the right side of the bridge, sending a smile up to the girl, but not seeming to be in any hurry to join her.

"C'mon, Sora!" Kairi ordered him, unsure why he hadn't followed her onto the climbing frame and was instead just watching her. Lifting a hand, she gestured to him beckoningly to join her up onto it, then sent her smile ahead of her as she began to march across the bridge, her thrill increasing over the thought of going down the slide on the opposite end.

Sora's smile disappeared as he lowered his head with a blank look, realizing that watching Kairi enjoy herself on the climbing frame had kept him from going onto it to share the fun with her. Walking around to the front end of the structure, he gazed at the climbing board and stuck his foot into the second hole from the bottom of the left vertical line of holes. He took hold of the edge of one of the higher holes in the same line, then pulled himself up so that his right foot left the ground. He was about to place it inside one of the middle holes in the line on the right so as to proceed to ascend all the way up the board - when he suddenly realized in surprise that he couldn't move his left foot. The wooden edge of the hole it was in had caught firmly around his large boot, making him unable to pull it out.

With wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth, Sora let go of the edge of the hole he was gripping onto, falling back down so that his free shoe was back on the ground. Gazing down where his left foot was stuck, he tried to move it outwards, only to give a few struggling grunts as it remained trapped in the hole. As he frowned in annoyance, he leaned forward to take hold of his ankle with both hands, using them to pull as hard as he could. He badly wanted to free himself and be able to move again. He was tugging with as much strength as he had used during his battles with Heartless, Organization XIII members and the sinister Xemnas. It was strength that was powerful enough to keep himself and his friends safe and to defeat is enemies - but somehow wasn't enough to release his foot from the grip of a lifeless board of wood.

"_Kairi!_" Sora called out desperately. He decided he was going to need help to if he was ever going to be free, even though he would probably look ridiculous in front of the person he was going to ask for it from. Pushing down on the hole's bottom edge with his trapped foot, he propelled himself upwards, his head and shoulders passing over the top of the board and allowing himself to see up to the other end of the climbing frame. There was Kairi, having just sat down on the top of the slide, turning around to gaze at him upon hearing him call her name. "I need help!"

"What's the matter, Sora?" Puzzlement quickly made its way into Kairi's expression as she wondered curiously to herself why Sora was calling for her to aid him.

"My foot's stuck!" Sora shouted over to her, just before sinking from her view to be standing with his one free foot on the ground. As he waited in embarrassment for the girl's response, he took hold of his ankle once again with both hands, feeling his frustration building up as the hole refused to let him pull his imprisoned foot free. "I can't get it out!"

Learning the reason of why the boy needed her help did not fail to humour Kairi. Picturing in her head what the amusing scene she was about to see would look like, she giggled softly to herself, unable to keep any of them in over how Sora had just gotten himself in trouble.

"I'll be there in a minute, Sora!" she called over to the other end of the climbing frame. Still letting off her small, quiet laughter, she turned for her amazed eyes to examine the slide which awaited her to travel down from its top to the bottom. It was about two metres high and three metres in length. It would have felt an incredibly tall height for her to be standing on if she had been ten years younger. Going down the slide then would have seemed to last longer than it really would now, especially since there would have been more distance between the ground and her. She could see as she sat there that she would be back on the ground in about two seconds - but that did not stop her from grinning in her level of excitement which outsized the slide.

Taking hold of the thin steel sides, Kairi pushed herself forward, then raised her arms above her head with an elated cheer as she zipped down the slide. She quickly slid to the bottom, finding herself back on ground level once again and so soon, but had managed to enjoy herself too much for her joy to end there. Not caring in the slightest how she was at an age where others would have long given up on having fun in playgrounds, she merrily jumped to her feet, eager to have another go on the climbing frame.

She would have to first, however, help the person who had blocked off the one end of it by getting his foot stuck, which would make her unable to climb back on.

Grinning widely to herself over how much she already loved playing on the climbing frame - as well as over the pickle it had made Sora get himself into - Kairi turned and walked alongside the large piece of equipment. She couldn't help looking forward to seeing the boy with his boot trapped and being unable to move. As she began to pass where the bridge was looming above her head, she heard a growling, annoyed voice reach her from the far end of the climbing frame, which made her stop to listen in amusement.

"C'mon, you stupid boot! Get out of there! C'MON, I WANNA MOVE!"

Hearing Sora's angry screams to his disobeying boot made Kairi realize how frustrated he obviously was to be unable to remove it from the hole - which only led her to giggle even more at his situation. After letting some of her humoured feeling off, she held the rest of it inside before stepping forward to be standing at the front end of the climbing frame - only to burst out laughing again by the sight of Sora having no luck in trying to free his foot and being able to walk anywhere. She could see that he certainly was stuck, and the amusing sight had made her instantly fail to keep control of her laughs.

The girl's presence beside him made Sora halt the tugging on his ankle for a moment to face her, sending the girl an embarrassed look from her seeing him in what felt a ridiculous predicament to him. He straightened up to allow her to clearly take in his stuck foot, wishing he was doing something which made him look less silly to make her laugh. "I can't get it out, Kairi!"

Taking control of her giggles to concentrate on helping him, Kairi shook her head in disbelief as she approached Sora to be beside where he was forced to stand on one foot. Kneeling down on the mulch, she looked down at the shin of his boot which remained trapped in the hole. Seeing up close how large it was made it no surprise to her why it had gotten stuck. She carefully took hold of the shin with her to hands, beginning her attempts to pull it free.

His foot remained fixed in place by the edge of the hole, his boot too big to pulled out through the way it went in.

"What have you done to your foot, Sora?" Kairi sighed, no longer laughing over what had happened to the boy and growing as irritated as he was from being unable to free himself from his frustrating situation.

"All I did was try to climb up after you," Sora explained. He attempted to pull his foot outwards again, beginning to worry at the same time their night out in the playground was going to be wasted. He had taken Kairi there so that the two of them could have a chance to enjoy themselves on the equipment and have some childish fun together, but instead, he was perhaps going to spend their entire time there with his foot trapped in the hole. The girl would miss out on the wonderful time she was supposed to be having by trying to release him, which he was now uncertain could actually be done.

He didn't even know if he would actually be free by the time the sun would raise into the sky - and then there was the nerve-wreaking thought of his mother going to his bedroom to wake him up, finding out that he actually wasn't in the house. It would lead to yet another one of her frightened, panicked states she often went into if he was lost or if she just didn't know where he was. Worst of all, if she somehow found out that he had sneaked out of the house to spend time out in the night with Kairi, she was certain to do everything that would make sure he would not be able to again. His sincere promise from his heart to Kairi would be broken...

No! There was no way he was going to let that happen. He _had _to get his foot out and grant Kairi all the fun he had promised her.

"I didn't think my foot was going to get stuck, Kairi," he went on. "I know I'm a bit big for this thing, but I didn't think I was big enough to get myself stuck in it. I thought I'd be able to follow you straight up. I thought I'd be able to go up this board, over the bridge and down the slide, just like I used-WHARGH!"

Sora suddenly let off a loud shriek which made Kairi jump with alarm, her shocked eyes locking onto him as he fell backwards to land on his back onto the solid ground. The back of his head hit the rubber mulch, which had no problems in giving him a bit of pain to cry out over. He found himself lying flat on the ground, looking up at the thousands of stars above him in the sky,

The next noise to fill the night air was Kairi shouting out over to him in horror. He heard her footsteps as she raced to stand over him, blocking off part of his vision of the sky. He gazed up at her, seeing by her expression how deeply horrified she was by the fall he had taken. He couldn't help smiling up at her; the stars could never equal how beautiful she was.

"Are you alright?" Kairi asked him in a trembling voice.

Propping himself up with his elbow, Sora rubbed the back of his head until the small bit of pain inside it disappeared. The smile he was sending up to Kairi remained on his face, although he hoped he would be able to take away the terrified expression she was giving him. "I'm okay, Kairi," he answered.

"Are you sure? You gave me a huge fright there."

"Sorry. I didn't know I was gonna fall." As he let off a light chuckle, Sora sat up straight and gazed down toward his feet. The sight of them brought a small, baffled frown to his face, for he was realizing only now why he was free from the grip of the climbing board.

His foot which had gotten stuck had managed to release itself by slipping out of his large boot, which was still where he had jammed it.

The expression Sora was giving to his foot which only had a black sock on it made Kairi giggle. She was relieved he was alright after his horrific-looking fall to the ground, and was finding the fact he was now missing a shoe to be very funny. With a wide, amused grin spread across her face, she pointed down at his foot which had just been trapped in the hole. "Well, at least your foot's free now," she laughed softly.

Sora smirked up at the girl over how humoured she clearly was, feeling very happy deep down inside that he could lead to the playground being filled with the wonderful sound of her laughter. "Yeah, but I've gotta get my shoe back," he told her as he stood up. "I can't go around this park with one shoe on and one shoe off! Plus, if I go home without it and Mom finds that it's missing tomorrow, she might realize that I've been sneaking out in the night with you!"

"It was _your _idea, Sora!" Kairi reminded him, still giggling as she watched the boy make his way back up to the climbing board.

"Yeah, and I'm doing it for you, remember?" Standing in front of what had been keeping him from walking anywhere, Sora turned to look over his shoulder at Kairi, giving her a nod and another smirk. He knelt down on the ground and looked down where his shoe remained trapped in the board. The back of it was still sticking out of the hole he had lodged it into. Now that he was no longer wearing it on his foot, he was able to squeeze the sides of it with his one hand, allowing himself to at last pull it free with the other.

Kairi felt herself blushing as she watched the boy put his retrieved shoe back on his foot, the true words he had used to playfully tease her in return causing her heart to increase the speed of its beats. "I know," she answered, her grin softening. "And, Sora ... I want you to know that I really appreciate you doing all this just for me. I'll always be thankful for everything that you've ever done for me." She smiled softly at her hero as he turned around to face her again. "You're the best friend ever."

Sora, moved by Kairi's sweet words of her never-ending gratitude, stared agape and wide-eyed at her for a moment before beaming as he made his way up to her to put his arms securely around her. He embraced her tightly, reaching up with one hand to gently stroke her hair, the nerves in his stomach trembling in happiness as she returned the hug. The moment they were sharing together was perfect for him; the two of them all alone together in the playground, standing under an elegant night sky with a full silver moon and a thousand stars, holding each other in their arms. It was truly wonderful for Sora to experience. He had hugged the beautiful girl who was in his arms many times in his life, but still he had the same wish that he never had to let her go.

"I'm really glad you're enjoying coming out tonight, Kairi," he said. "I just wanna always make sure you're happy and keep my promise to you. But I'm not the best friend ever..." He paused, tilting her head gently with his hand that was stroking her hair so that her ear was closer to his mouth. "You are."

By now, the blush on Kairi's face had deepened. The boy's kind words on how he was devoted to making her happy - which she knew were coming from his enormous heart - led to her to feel moved herself. A thankful smile was spread across her face whilst her eyes locked onto the head next to hers. As a gust of icy night air passed through the playground, she tightened her arms around Sora's torso whilst some strands of her hair were blown about lightly. Feeling the need to respond to what he had said about her being the best friend ever instead of him, she buried her face into his shoulder, enjoying having it covered completely with the softness of his jacket.

"You are," she whispered quietly, the words spoken in her barely audible voice being absorbed into the material.

Sora failed to hear what she had just mumbled into his jacket and just silently stroked Kairi's hair for a little longer until she lifted her head for her angelic face to come back into view - to his delight. The hug they were sharing and enjoying together lasted for a few more seconds, then they finally pulled away from each other. The coldness of the night was able to take over their temperature immediately, for they were no longer stopping it from affecting one another by having their arms around the one they loved. They turned their attention back to the climbing frame, both deciding they were going to have to go around it a few times quickly to warm themselves back up.

Kairi gave a small nod down towards the boy's feet. "You should take your shoes off before going on there, Sora."

Her suggestion led Sora to turn away from the climbing frame, glancing down at his large boots before facing the girl again. His face scrunched up in puzzlement over the strange idea she had just told him to do. "Why?"

"You don't wanna get your feet stuck again," the young Princess of Heart giggled. "Just take them off here so you can go on the climbing frame. Then when we play on something else, you can put them back on."

Now seeing perfect sense in why Kairi had advised him to go on the climbing frame without his footwear, Sora grinned at her and gave her a nod before slipping his feet out of his large boots. Only his socks were protecting his feet from the mulch that covered the ground. Being outdoors without wearing any shoes for a while didn't bother him, for it meant he could share the fun of the climbing frame he had not played on for nearly ten years with the girl who was only just getting her first chance to enjoy it. He placed his shoes to sit together on one side of the board, where they wouldn't be able to get either of his feet trapped in it for the second time in a row.

"Go on up then, Sora!" Kairi urged excitedly. "You haven't been on this in years! I bet it's been missing you playing on it! Here you are now, all grown up and ready to go down that slide again!"

Sora lifted his head up from his shoes to grin yet again at the girl, her words sounding to him like what his mother would have said if she had been there with them. Completely prepared to play on the climbing frame with her, as if he were five-years old again, he spun around to be facing the wooden board, shooting the wide grin on his face at the structure before beginning to climb. None of the holes trapped either of this feet this time. Within seconds, he was pulling himself up onto the platform to stand on the climbing frame for the first time in years. With the same grin on his face, he placed his hands onto his hips and gazed around himself as he stood with his heels on the edge, reminiscing all the times he had played on here when he was small under the worried, watchful eyes of Nikkou.

As his eyes fell onto the bridge ahead of him, Sora walked forward to be standing at its one end to examine it. Being much older and taller since he had last raced across it, it was as if the bridge had decreased in length and was closer to the ground. Crossing it at sixteen years of age wouldn't feel the same as all those times he had when he was younger, but to do it again would be heaps of fun. Especially now that his best friend was there with him.

Focusing towards where the top of the slide was at the other end, Sora marched forward to cross the bridge. His large boots caused the steel which had been used to build it to clang loudly with each step he took, ceasing all together once he had reached the far side of the climbing frame. As he peered down the slide towards the bottom below, he smiled to himself, remembering how much fun it had been to zip down it. Getting the chance to play on it again, as he was about to, would certainly feel so amazing.

The sound of Kairi climbing back up the board reached him from the far end of the structure. Sora glanced over his shoulder, grinning when he saw the girl pulling herself up onto the first platform, before gazing down towards the ground again. Sitting down onto the top of the slide, he took hold of its sides with both hands.

With just one push, Sora sent himself sliding joyfully down, letting out how much fun he was having in a thrilled cheer. "Weeeeeee!"

Once he had reached the bottom, Sora jumped up happily to his feet, stretching his arms out into the air. Going down the slide for the first time in several years had been fantastic, and he was eager to do it again. He raced away from the slide and alongside the climbing frame, already looking forward to taking a second round on it.

"Sora!"

He stopped in surprise upon hearing Kairi calling his name. Looking up curiously, he saw that she was standing above him at the one end of the bridge. She was smiling down at him, making no effort to make her way across the slide at the other end, and appearing to be seemingly pleased that she had gotten his attention.

"What is it, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"I'm stuck. I need you to save me."

What Kairi had just claimed brought a small, puzzled frown to Sora's face. What did she mean? He could clearly see she was capable of moving around on the climbing frame, and had the easiest - as well as the most fun - way of getting down. Every other time she had ever needed him to save her, he would not hesitate to charge straight to her rescue - but despite what she had just told him now, from what he could see, she clearly didn't appear to need any saving.

"Huh?" Sora exclaimed at last. "What d'you mean, Kairi? You don't look stuck to me."

"No, Sora. I really am stuck up here." As she spoke down to him, Kairi softened her voice a little, making herself sound like a helpless young child. "I need a brave hero to rescue me. Will you do that, Sora? Will you please save me?"

The change in her voice worked in her favour, for it made Sora realize in delight why she was asking for his help. He grinned widely up at her. She was trying to get them to play a game that they would sometimes play when they were little. She was pretending to be imprisoned up inside the climbing frame, as she perhaps might have done if she had visited the playground with him during their very young years. The only way she could be free was by being rescued by him. Sora was already determined to save the girl he loved, just as much as he had been during all the times in real life when her safety had relied on him.

"Alright, Kairi!" he called excited up to her. "Hang in there! I'll save you!"

To the glee-filled cheers that were sent down to him from atop the climbing frame, Sora dashed over to the wooden board at the one end. Even though he was aware they were only playing a game and that Kairi was not in any danger, he could not leave her waiting for him, trapped and unable to escape. He was very glad his feet did not get lodged in any of the holes again as he began to climb hurriedly up the board. Had he still been wearing his shoes, he would have been gotten himself stuck for a second time and been kept from saving Kairi.

Memories of the happy occasions when they had played this game were flowing through the boy's mind. Riku would sometimes be the one to take Kairi prisoner, and Sora would always have to 'confront' him when attempting to free her. This would often lead to a dual between the two boys with their wooden swords. They would always end with Riku being defeated and Kairi being rescued. She would happily express her gratitude to Sora for bravely saving her - and then Riku would come out of role to insist it was his turn to be the hero. The boys would take it in turns to play the hero and the villain, due to the fact they both always wanted to be the positive male character. This sometimes resulted in them having sword battles before the game would begin to decide who would be the first to play Kairi's rescuer.

Pulling himself up onto the platform, Sora scrambled quickly to his feet, then raced over to the beautiful girl nearby, who was beaming in delight upon seeing him.

"Sora!" she cried joyfully, about to repeat some words she would often express to him years ago whenever he would arrive to rescue her from Riku. "I knew you'd come save me!"

"Of course I would, Kairi!" The young hero grinned down at her as he took her hand tightly in his. "I wouldn't leave you trapped up here!"

Kairi blushed with a sweet giggle as her saviour turned away from her and to the bridge in front of them. She found she was being slowly led across it, for he was taking her away from where she had been held captive. The slide would be waiting for them at the other end, serving as the only way the two of them could escape together to return to the ground. Following him closely, she kept a tight grip on his hand, happily enjoying being rescued by him.

Sora had guided her halfway across the bridge, when he stopped abruptly in alarm, causing Kairi to jump with fright behind him. Highly taken aback by his unexpected, panic-stricken behaviour, she gaped up at him with wide eyes that were filled with confusion, but were unable to see the horrified expression that he was sending ahead of them. He took a step back and stuck his arms out on each side, appearing to Kairi as if he was trying to protect her from an attack of something - when there wasn't even anyone or anything dangerous about. There were in the middle of a deserted playground, all alone and not in any trouble.

Her bewilderment rising, Kairi was about to ask Sora what was wrong - when a large glint of white light suddenly flashed before her eyes, next to where the boy's right hand was. It startled her instantly, causing a small, shocked cry to escape her lips, and once it had vanished as quickly as it had appeared, what it left in its place did a fast job of layering even more bafflement into her head.

Clutched in Sora's fist, its main colour of silver glistening in the moonlight whilst a small pendant in the shape of King Mickey's head dangled from a chain attached to its yellow and black handle, was his Keyblade.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed loudly. "What are you doing?"

"It's the Heartless!" Sora turned quickly to shoot the expression of false horror he was putting on over his shoulder at Kairi. As soon as he saw realization begin to work its way through her eyes, he turned away from her and swung his large, key-shaped weapon out in front of him, striking the dark creatures he was imagining was coming at them. "Get away! Keep back, you little monsters! You're not hurting Kairi!"

As her hero slashed his weapon through the attacking Heartless (or rather, through the thin air before him), Kairi's face lightened up as she watched him with amazement. She understood now that he was just adding more excitement to their game. He was pretending that something was coming to harm her, which he had to bravely protect her from. She giggled to herself as she imagined what had perhaps been going through Sora's mind. After fighting off many Heartless to save the worlds they had been invading, he had obviously decided they would make good enemies in the game they were playing for the first time in years.

To keep in character as best she could, Kairi held her hands to her mouth in an effort to act frightened - which she found she couldn't do a very good job of, due to how much fun she was having. She watched Sora as he continued to to fight off the Heartless that were supposed to be coming for her, the wide grin on her face covered by her palms. "Oh no! I'm scared! Save me, Sora! Please don't let them hurt me!"

Sora swung his weapon again to kill another imaginary Heartless up on the bridge with him and the girl. He was unable to help bringing a small smile to his face, humoured over how unconvincing Kairi's attempt to sound terrified was. He could appreciate why though; what the two of them were doing together would be considered by many to be childish for them to do. It felt funny for them to be playing their old pretend game as teenagers, but he was highly enjoying getting to play it with her again. He was also very delighted that she was enjoying it, too.

Once he had destroyed all the Heartless which only he could see, Sora lowered his Keyblade to his side. He turned around to grin at the girl who he had just been protecting - only for his face to suddenly fill with 'alarm' again. His eyes wide and mouth ajar, he shot an arm out to point past her and towards the platform of the climbing frame he had just guided her from - which didn't have anything or anybody on it.

"Oh no!" he shouted dramatically.

"What is it, Sora?" Kairi asked, lowering her hands from her mouth and erasing the smile on her face to give the boy an expression of terror. She had adjusted her voice to make it sound full of fear as she spoke to him, for she needed to be afraid of whatever the new threat that was right behind her was. "What's wrong?"

"It's the king of the Heartless - Nasty Riku!"

Sora dashed past Kairi to return to the end of the bridge he had just taken her from, swinging his weapon around in front of him again as he stood on the platform, a furious glare on his face. "Get back, Nasty Riku! I'm not letting you keep Princess Kairi!"

Kairi giggled loudly from learning what her hero was supposed to be defending her from now now. He had just referred to her and Riku under the name they would always use whenever the three of them were playing their game together. She had not had any dealings with Nasty Riku or even heard from him since she was eight. Through Sora's imagination, he had decided kidnap her once again, holding her prisoner up the climbing frame. He had also apparently become the ruler of the Heartless since she had last seen him, all of which had just been destroyed by her rescuer.

Staying on the middle of the bridge, Kairi turned around to observe Sora pretending to be fighting off the boy who was actually not there. She laughed quietly to herself over how Riku was undoubtedly fast asleep in bed and unaware that they were pretending he was sinisterly antagonising them in their game. It made her attempts to stay in character even more difficult, but she was able to picture him standing in front of Sora and striking his own Keyblade against his. It also made her remember the long-past years when they were small boys, batting their wooden swords against each other.

"Oh, you think you're so tough, do you, Nasty Riku?" Sora yelled to the open space in front of him. "Well I'll show you just how tough _I_ am! You've never been any match for me!"

"Go on! Get him, Brave Sora!" Kairi cheered to him. There was no tension or worry in her voice, which made the battle Sora was supposed to be in seem more like the game it really was. She was aware that she wasn't performing her role as convincingly as she had when she was younger, but that was due to how different it was for her to play the game at fifteen-years of age, as well as a lot of wonderful fun. Sora was taking on his role with a bit more melodrama than he used to, and was also pretending to fight someone who wasn't even there, but he was still doing better job than her. If Riku had actually been with them that evening, she wondered if he would have played his role of the evil villain as well as he used to - or would have just acted far worse than her, being the oldest of the three of them.

Whilst Sora was cutting through the air with the sharp blade of his weapon, his dark glare deepened, for he was picturing having Riku right up in his face with a sinister little smirk. It was the expression the silver-haired boy would often give him when performing his role of Nasty Riku. Sora was imagining he was battling against him as the sixteen-year old he had grown into, and with each 'strike' that was supposed to come from their Keyblades knocking against each other, the face in front of him that was full of never-ending evil was coming closer and closer.

So close, filling Sora's whole vision, that it seemed as though he wasn't just imagining any of this. It appeared as if he was battling Riku for real. That expression which he thought was right up in his face led him begin to feel a little afraid. It looked so vile, so devilish, so sinister. The wide smile it was giving him was making Sora go into a surge of panic. It was the smile of someone who wanted to do no good and intended to harm others. What made it all the more frightening was that it was being shot at him by his friend, Riku - and he was trying to kill him so that he could hurt Kairi...

Letting off a loud cry, Sora jumped backwards, which was all it took for his hallucination of the evil-looking Riku to vanish. He was able to see again that there was actually nobody in front of him. What he had just thought was happening had been horrible, and he knew already why it had occurred; over a year ago, he had fought violently against Riku to protect Kairi from him - for real. When he had found the silver-haired boy in Hallow Bastion, his every move and word being controlled by Ansem, he had needed to use his Keyblade to battle with all his strength against him to keep him from taking Kairi's heart while it had been inside his body. Throughout all their younger years when he had playfully fought against Riku and pretended to rescue Kairi from him, Sora had never once suspected that he would really need to do it in real life.

"Are you alright, Sora?"

The terrible memories were driven out of Sora's head as his ears picked up the sound of Kairi's concerned voice. He turned to look at her over his shoulder, finding she was still standing in the middle of the bridge with a worried gaze on her face. Realizing how his change of mood had affected hers, he shot his head away from her to frown at the space before him again, focusing back on the game so that she wouldn't feel upset about him.

He swing his Keyblade around one last time, imagining it was the blow he needed to hit his enemy and send him falling off the climbing frame. "Ha! Take that, Nasty Riku!"

Grinning widely over his victory, Sora stepped over to the very edge of the platform to watch with his imagination as the foiled Nasty Riku plummeted back-first down towards the ground, his Keyblade flying out of his hand. The triumphant hero was pretending to hear the sound of his nemesis letting out a loud scream that would fill the entire air of the night. As Sora was picturing himself to be standing on the highest turret of a large castle, rather than just a two-metre tall climbing frame in the centre of the playground, it was taking Nasty Riku longer to fall than it would have in reality. The impact of the fall wouldn't kill him, for the evil, silver-haired monster had a mysterious way of surviving even the most lethal ways of being defeated. He would always return and would stop at nothing to kidnap Princess Kairi again - but would never be able to hold her prisoner for any longer than ten minutes. Brave Sora would always arrive to thwart his plans and rescue her.

"You've lost again, Nasty Riku!" Sora shouted mockingly, pointing down towards the spot on the ground where Riku was supposed to have painfully landed. As his Keyblade vanished from his hand in the same flash of light it had arrived in, he noticed from the corner of his eye that Kairi had strode up to stand right beside him, gazing silently at him. "Isn't it about time you gave up on kidnapping Princess Kairi? You should know that you'll never win!"

"Are you okay, Sora?" Kairi asked, her expression growing even more anxious as she rested a hand onto his shoulder. She was afraid that he was only acting happy now just to hide how he was truly feeling from her. "You looked troubled, just now."

After freezing for a moment at the soft feeling of the girl's hand on his shoulder, Sora turned to look down and meet the worried expression that was being sent up to him. He smiled assuring at the kind-hearted girl, taking her free hand tightly in his. "I'm okay, Kairi," he told her truthfully. "I just let the game get to my head a bit; I felt as though I was _really_ fighting, Riku. But it doesn't matter now, 'cause I've just defeated him..." He chuckled heartily, pleased to see a grin was forming on her face. "Again!"

Kairi giggled, relieved that he was okay. It was very Sora-like to take a game they had played when they were younger very seriously as a teenager, allowing himself to believe he truly was fighting a dear friend of theirs who wasn't even there. Perhaps it was just as well for Riku that he wasn't present with them to actually take part in the game, for he would have most likely ended up with a sore back from being knocked off the climbing frame. Sora would have probably been throwing childish insults now, jeering at him the way he always did each time he defeated him in the game. His teasing would not last long, however, for Riku would quickly remind them both that it was his own turn to play the hero.

"C'mon, Princess!" Sora beckoned. "Let's get you outta this castle and to freedom!"

The girl's eyes lightened up from discovering that her hero was not breaking out of his role just yet. Slipping her hand from his shoulder, she allowed him to lead her hurriedly over the bridge, managing to take her safely to the other side with no further threats for them to face. Now that they had reached the way out of the castle, she glanced at the top of the slide, knowing they were about to use it, before beaming up at Brave Sora.

"Go ahead, Princess. You go first." Her rescuer had stepped to one side, gesturing towards the way out of the castle with the hand he had used to lead her to it. "It's actually quite a fun way to get out of here."

Turning back towards the slide, still with a wide grin spread across her face, Princess Kairi approached it to sit down on the very top of it. She took another quick look at the one who had saved her, knowing he would be joining her on the ground very soon, then pushed herself forward to glide down from the climbing frame. Just like before, her journey from the top the bottom hardly took any time at all, but she still managed to enjoy it just as much as she had the first time. Once she was at the foot of the slide, she quickly moved herself off it to be sitting on the mulch that covered the ground. Her glee-filled eyes were gazing up to where she had slid from, waiting for Sora to do the same.

The boy came into view at the top of the slide, sitting down on it and getting ready to send himself flying down it. As he took hold of the sides, he peered down to see that Kairi was waiting joyously for him beside at bottom. Sending a grin back down to her in return to the one she was shooting up at him, he pushed forward to send himself down the silver path which would lead him to her. He quickly slid down to the end of the slide - where he let out a loud cry of surprise as Kairi launched herself at him, throwing her arms around him.

Stunned, Sora turned to gape at the girl as she embraced him tightly around his chest, then managed to bring back his smile which had just disappeared from his face, rotating his body towards her so that he could return the hug easily. "That was fun," he said.

Kairi lifted her head to gaze up into his eyes, her soft, white grin sparkling amongst the darkness of the night. She felt a cold breeze blow through the playground, but the boy's protective arms around her were able to prevent it from making her feel cold. Tightening her own arms around him, she felt her cheeks beginning to turn bright pink, feeling as happy as she nearly always was whenever the two of them would share a lovely hug together.

"D'you remember all the times you and Riku would fight over who would be the one to save me?" she finally asked him softly.

Sora knew she was referring to when he and Riku were very small children, always squabbling and often sword fighting over who would be the one to play the hero in the game. He gave her a small nod, still holding her in his embrace and not making a move to take them up to their feet. "Yeah?"

"I always liked it best when it was _you _who would save me." Kairi's eyes were twinkling in the glowing moonlight. She rested her head comfortably onto Sora's chest, having highly loved her trip back in time with him. "Thanks for saving me again, Brave Sora."

Sora's eyes were wide with disbelief as he gawked down at her again. The words she as just murmured to him had set bells of amazement ringing inside his ears, for he had just learnt something astounding which he had never known before until know. All those years ago, whenever they - along with Riku - would decide to play their pretend game, they would never start without there being an argument first between the two boys over which of them would play the role they both wanted. They would have to take turns so they could each get their chance to perform it, and Kairi had never showed any signs of preferring to be saved by one of them over the other. Now here she was, having grown into a beautiful fifteen-year old, and had just revealed to Sora that throughout all those years in their childhood when they had played the game together, she liked being rescued by him more than by Riku. He could remember, despite his surprise, that she had enjoyed the times when Riku was taking his turn to play the hero - but learning that _he _had always been her favourite one to be the hero led to the grin which was spreading back across Sora's face to be wider than ever.

"You're welcome, Princess Kairi," he answered - then hesitated, remembering. "Or is it, _Queen _Kairi now?"

"Huh?" Kairi lifted her head from his chest, her smile disappearing as she gazed up at him in her confusion. She couldn't understand why he felt her role in the game should be moved up from a princess to a queen. "Why d'you say that, Sora?"

"Because you were my queen at Disney Castle, remember?" Sora beamed at her. "Once you become crowned queen, I don't think you can go back to being a princess. I didn't think you'd want to."

It was Kairi's eyes' turn now to widen over what she had just heard. The temperature in her cheeks rose rapidly as their colour deepened from pink to red. She gazed up at Sora in astonishment, feeling her heart beating fast from particular words he had used, as well as from learning he been thinking of a wonderful occasion they had shared together in the previous week. She thought back to when he had taken her to King Mickey's castle, which she had ended up being in charge of for the day, sitting on Queen Minnie's throne and wearing her precious crown on her head. What made those hours of being a royal so wonderful for her was that through every minute of it, the boy she loved had been the king which needed to rule alongside the queen she had been temporarily made. Calling her 'Princess Kairi' had made Sora think back to the day she had become a queen, and what had made her feel even more stunned and moved was that he had just openly said she had been _his_ queen.

Kairi smiled bashfully up at the boy, unable to stop herself from blushing in front of him. His face was filled with his soft, beautiful smile he was sending down to her, which succeeded to make her feel all the more happy. She was very grateful that she had once been granted a change to have the person who she was deeply in love with as her much-adored king for a day. With all her heart, she was secretly wishing before him that she could go back to being his queen and staying his queen for their rest of their lives. She had no way of knowing he was secretly wishing the same thing before her.

The two lovers just stayed where they were at the foot of the slide, silently relishing being in each other's arms. They didn't make any effort to get back up to their feet, for they weren't in a great rush at the moment to play on the rest of the playground equipment. They just wanted to hold each other for a bit, keeping one another warm and protected from the cold night air and feeling thankful for having each other in their lives.

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**Alright, here's the reason why this chapter took longer to arrive than originally; when I came up with the idea for Sora and Kairi to play this game they play together here, as I was describing how they would play it with Riku during their childhoods, I felt it would be better described as a story rather than a paragraph. And that gave me the idea for a mini spin-off to this story, which I have in fact gone and written, and have just uploaded now at the same time as this chapter. :D **

**If you would like to read about Sora, Kairi and Riku playing this game together years before their adventures in the Kingdom Hearts games and the events of this story, you'll find it in my story list, entitled 'Our Favourite Game'. I hope you'll enjoy it if you do read it. :)**


	57. A Dizzy Experience

**Glad to have this new chapter done at last. These first couple of paragraphs feel like then were done ages ago, even though it was only last month when I updated.**

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After a few more seconds of silently embracing each other at the foot of the slide, the two teenagers finally broke their hug. They picked themselves up to be back on their feet, still smiling softly at one another.

"What would you like to go on next, Kairi?" Sora asked, his eyes twinkling in excitement as he turned away from her. He gestured with each of his hands to the pieces of playground equipment that stood beyond the far end of the climbing frame. "We've still got all this to play on, and we've got the whole night ahead of us, so you pick what you wanna do next!"

Kairi took a few steps to her right and away from Sora to see past the climbing frame more easily. As a piece of equipment came into view, standing a few metres away, she froze to obverse it with the delight in her expression lifting up. She could see how welcoming it looked in the radiant moonlight, filling her with a growing desire to play on it that very moment. There had been one such device like this one in a playground near her former hometown, which she had visited a lot during her toddler years. She had always loved going up and down on its one end with her grandmother controlling the other by hand. Now fifteen-years old, Kairi was highly eager to go on the dark blue one before her - with the boy who had brought her to this playground riding on the opposite end.

"Let's go on the seesaw, Sora!" she beckoned, pointing out towards it whilst shooting her growing grin at her hero.

With his eyes widening a little at the mention of the seesaw, Sora took a few steps towards Kairi so that he could take a quick glance at it before nodding avidly at her. "Alright then! I used to love going on that when I was little!"

Unable to wait any longer, Kairi suddenly grasped Sora's hand - causing him to jump with fright - and sprinted alongside the climbing frame, yanking the stumped boy over to the seesaw. Once she had hauled him over to its closest end, she left him there in his surprise to hurry over to the opposite one. She sat down on the bright yellow seat and gripped the handrail in front of her, finding herself sinking quickly to the ground as the board tilted downwards with a loud screech. The free end was soon pointing up towards the starry sky, and Kairi was grinning up to where an aghast Sora was towering over her. She gave a small nod towards the empty seat that had just become level with his head. She was very anxious for him to take it for himself so that they could begin the wonderful fun of playing on the device together.

Sora's lips spread back into a grin as he took hold of the nearby empty seat at his end. The moment he tugged down on it, an enormous squeak pierced into the quiet air of the night, followed by a squeal filled with happiness. As he lifted an ecstatic Kairi up from the ground, he firmly held the empty seat down, taking it for himself and gripping the icy cold handrails in front of him. Sitting only a few inches above the ground, he lifted his head to beam up at the girl on the opposite end, who had just been elevated over him. The glowing light from the moon had lit up all the joy in her expression. It was the brightest sight in the playground, and Sora found having it directed at him to be very wonderful.

"C'mon then, Sora," Kairi told him, giggling softly. "Are you just gonna sit there? 'Cause I came on this seesaw to go up and down! I can't do it without you!"

Her teasing reminder of what he was supposed to do drove Sora out of the awestruck state which he had been put into by her beautiful smile. After giving a quick shake of his head, he struck the ground forcefully with the soles of his feet, which caused the seesaw to tilt down the girl's way with another screech. Finding himself being lifted upwards at his end whilst she was returning to the ground, Sora locked his uplifting gaze with Kairi's matching one just before beginning to sink back down.

"Woohoo!" Kairi cried, her elation rising over being ascended back into the air. "This is fun! Isn't it, Sora?"

Sora nodded, pressing down on the ground with his feet again, which he knew he was going to have to do continuously to keep their fun of going up and down from ending. "Me and Riku used to play on this a lot when we were little!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We'd have a great time on this when we used to come here. Mom didn't like us going on here, though. She was always afraid one of us would fall off our seat - or send the other one up too high and make him fall forward and hit himself on the board." Sora chuckled, remembering how terrified his over-protective mother would be whenever he and Riku would play together on the seesaw. "That's why she would always be holding onto one end; to control how high we went. We always wanted to go up much higher than she'd let us, so we'd be having a pretty good whine together."

As a few giggles escaped from her lips, Kairi's eyes softened as she tried to picture a younger Sora riding opposite her on the seesaw. She could easily imagine him sitting on his end at the age of five, when he had been much smaller with lighter, shorter spikes in his hair that all flopped downward. Whilst he would have been dressed in a white T-shirt with blue around the colour, cuffs and waistline, along with a pair of red shorts and brown sandals with yellow straps, she would have been in her white top with a blue stripe and flowers presented on it, as well as her pink skirt and white shoes that displayed pink and purple stripes on the sides. It would have been wonderful back in those long gone days to play with Sora on the seesaw they were now on together. She wouldn't have cared if Nikkou had been holding onto one end to keep them from going up very high. All that would have mattered would be having the brunette boy sat on the opposite end, as he was that moment.

"You really should have taken me here before when we were little, Sora," she grinned. "I would've loved coming to play here with you. I can't believe you never told me about this until the day before yesterday."

Sora's lips eased into a remorseful smile. He felt bad about never once taking Kairi to the playground until that night. She had in fact been the reason why he had not done so. Ever since she had arrived on the islands, he - as well as Riku - had been too occupied with spending time with her to give the playground any thought. Although they would play at each other's houses very regularly, the smaller island would mainly the place where the three of them would have fun together. Learning that she would have also enjoyed going to the playground made Sora wish he had taken her there, too. He knew he would have really loved having her there with him and they would have had fantastic days of playing together on the seesaw and the other equipment. Deep down inside, he couldn't help feeling surprised over the fact she had never discovered it by following the path as it led past the school, nor had her adoptive father ever taken her there when she was younger.

"I'm sorry, Kairi," he apologized. "I know I definitely should have taken you here before. I would have if I'd known how much you'd like it here."

"I'd have _loved _it here! I'd have loved coming to play in any playground on these islands." Kairi smiled thoughtfully down at her hands on the handrail. Her mind was flooded with lovely memories that were causing her to almost forget she was constantly going up and down. "Just like I loved the playground Grandma would always take me to."

At the unexpected mention of the girl's deceased relative, Sora instantly stopped working on keeping the seesaw tilting in both directions. He froze in surprise on his seat, which was now equally balanced with Kairi's. "Your grandma?"

"Uh-huh. She always used to take me every weekend to this playground away from our hometown. I always loved the climbing frame there, and the seesaw. I'd be sat at one end while Grandma would be holding onto the other, lifting me up and down." Another sweet giggle was let out from the girl and into the night air. "I really loved going to that playground with her..."

Sora's eyes were filled deeply with worry. The last time Kairi had been reminiscing about her grandmother to him had been when they were at the stables, the day before. Her memories of the relative she had known and lost had brought pain to her heart, causing her to cry and remind them both of what the boy was going through. Expecting the same thing to happen again, Sora prepared himself in his growing fear to jump off the seesaw so as to put his arms comfortingly around Kairi - which he knew was not going to be enough to drive the devastating thoughts and heartache away from her.

What he didn't realize was that the memories filling Kairi's mind were actually making her happy. Her visits to the playground with her beloved grandmother had always been very wonderful, and now she was getting to visit one she had never played in before with another person she really loved. She lifted her head up to gaze at Sora again, sending him the soft grin that remained on her face. "Just like I'd have really loved coming here and playing here with you!"

Her cheerful exclamation led Sora to be taken aback for a second time in a row. His eyes widened, full of disbelief, as he had been expecting the memories of her grandmother to be torturing Kairi again. He was amazed to see she was smiling up at him instead of beginning to weep. Relieved that she was okay, he returned the smile as he felt the speed of his heartbeats increase. He had been moved by Kairi's telling of how she would have loved having fun in the playground with him when they were younger.

"Well I'm sorry I never took you here all those years ago," he apologized again. "I know I'd have loved having you here, too. I hope you're enjoying yourself here tonight-"

"Of course I am!" Kairi interrupted, nodding her head towards him with a much louder giggle. "C'mon, you lazy bum! Less talk and more sending us up and down! I didn't give you permission to stop!"

Sora snickered as he weighed himself down on his end of the seesaw, tilting it his way again to lift the peppy girl back up. "Why don't _you _it then?" he teased in return.

"I am! I'm doing it as well at my end! I need you to start, though, Sora. You're much stronger than me, so you can send us up much higher."

Understanding that Kairi just playfully trying to get him to continue their shared fun on the seesaw, Sora nodded up at her. He straightened his bent legs to press his feet firmly on the ground again, propelling himself back up into the air. After a second of grinning down at her, his seat started to descend as he watched the girl being lifted back up at her end, having failed to notice her feet had just done the same action his own had.

The pair proceeded to joyfully send each other up and down in turn, remaining unusually silent with wide grins. The only sound to fill the playground was the never-ending screeching of the seesaw. It made the two teenagers hope they were not disturbing any of the sleeping residents of the nearby houses - but the thought of that couldn't bring them to stop.

* * *

"Shall we go on the swings now, Sora?"

Sora let himself sink out of the air upon hearing Kairi's suggestion, no longer making an effort to keep them going up and down once his feet were back on the ground. The grin on his face widened electrifyingly, for he already liked the sound of what she wanted them to do. He turned to face the pair of swings that were hanging from their red frame on his left. The two of them had been playing on the seesaw for nearly ten minutes now, so he was ready for them to do something else. Gliding black and forth in the moonlight on one of the swings with the girl doing the same right next to him would be really fantastic.

"Sure," he answered eagerly, lifting himself off his seat and holding it down firmly. He didn't want it to suddenly tilt in Kairi's direction whilst she was still on it; that would cause her seat to hit the ground with a hard bump and make her end up falling off it. He wasn't going to allow that to happen.

After getting off her seat safely, Kairi approached Sora to take his hand in hers again, then guided him over to the swings with the same smile spread across her face. "Did you used to play on these as well when you'd come here?" she asked him, taking one swing for herself.

"A lot! I'd really wear Mom out by making her stand behind me, pushing me for ages! I think her arms would be ready to fall off by the time I'd had enough!" As he sat next to Kairi on the other swing, Sora lifted his head to take in the glowing moon above them, his eyes shining with awe at the sight of it. "This is lovely," he commented.

Kairi gazed softly at her hero for a few seconds in silence before turning away from him. Gripping the dangling chains her seat hung from, she began to swing herself first forwards, then backwards, getting increasingly higher with each motion.

Sora slowly diverted his attention away from the moon to watch the girl swaying alongside him. He swaggered his legs back and forth to rock himself on his own swing, but his head was filled with too much wonder for him to concentrate on going as high as she was. He couldn't believe the pair of them were playing together on a set of swings at such a very dark hour when the rest of the main island was fast asleep. Although they would mostly be found playing together with Riku on the smaller island, and had been experiencing fantastic trips and activities together over the past nine days, to do something like this with Kairi felt like an enchanting dream to Sora. In fact, everything he had done with her over the last few days had felt like a dream. Knowing that it had all been real brought warmth to his heart. He was very happy to be continuing to have wonderful fun with her that moment.

_I'm glad Kairi's enjoying herself, _he thought. _I always want her to be able to whenever she's with me. I never thought we'd go on a set of swings together ... especially not in the moonlight. It's so amazing to get to do this with her._

"What is it, Sora?"

The boy jerked upwards with alarm in his swing, having just been discovered by Kairi that he had been gazing wordlessly at her. She was now facing him as she continued to glide back and forth in her seat. His widened eyes could see that a sweet, curious smile was on her beautiful face.

"N-nothing, Kairi," he answered nervously, turning away from her quickly and attempting to make his weaving swing go as high as hers. "I just w-wanted to make sure you're enjoying yourself."

"I'm having a lovely time, thanks, Sora!" Kairi confirmed cheerily. She sent her soft expression to the direction she was swinging towards again. As soon as she was a metre high, her seat carried her backwards at the same speed, which caused her red locks to beat upwards at the sides of her head. _With you, this has just been so fantastic, _she thought, aiming what she was thinking at the boy without him hearing any of it. _I can't believe I'm getting to do this with you, Sora, and that you snuck out of your house and took us here at this time of the night ... all just for me..._

Kairi blushed faintly, still moved by how selfless Sora had been towards her. Her smile remained on her face at the thought of all the kindness he had shown towards her once again. With her happiness still strong, she carried on buoyantly swinging herself in her seat. She didn't realize the person doing the same next to her was watching her from the corners of his eyes. He was grinning very softly from seeing her enjoy herself, having no way of knowing he was inside her thoughts.

* * *

The pair enjoyed themselves on the swings for roughly the same length of time as they had on the seesaw before Kairi began to scrape the soles of her shoes along the ground. Her swaying motions were brought down in height and speed with each scrape. It only took a few to bring her swing to a complete stop, leaving her just sitting on it without another movement. Her hands were still gripped onto the chains whilst her eyes were fixed to the next piece of playground equipment she intended to play on.

"D'you wanna go on something else now?" Sora asked her. Having watched her cease her swinging, he was just beginning to do the same himself. His motions were cut down much quicker than hers, due to the larger size of his own soles. His feet rested on the mulch once he was no longer swaying back and forth. He remained sitting alongside Kairi, gazing curiously at her.

She turned towards him to give him a small nod. "Only if you want to," she said softly. "We can stay on here a bit longer if you want."

"Don't be silly! We're here for you, remember?" Sora gave her an enormous reassuring grin which glowed brightly in the moonlight as he stood up from his swing. "What would you like to go on next?"

Returning a grin of her own to him, Kairi stood as well and pointed out to the device in the playground she wanted them to play on. "Can we have a go of the roundabout please?"

Sora peered up to where the green piece of equipment she had just mentioned was positioned all by itself. It was bolted down by its short stand in the corner of the fenced-off area that was closest to the entrance gate. He chuckled lightly at the sight of it, having no trouble familiarizing himself with it as he began to march in its direction. "I remember getting dizzy on that thing," he mused.

"Did that happen a lot?" Kairi giggled. Her face was filled with interest in the boy's tale as she walked brightly alongside him.

"All the time! Mom didn't like me spinning around on it too fast, so she'd always try to take control and keep it going slow." Sora smirked down at the device the moment they stopped before it, snickering as he fisted his hands to place them onto his hips. "But I always demanded her to make it go faster! And she'd eventually do as I'd tell her, 'cause she didn't wanna spoil my fun!"

"And then you'd get dizzy?"

"Yep! You wouldn't believe the speed she'd be making me spin at, even though she didn't like me going that fast! I'd be screaming like mad for the whole ride! And when I'd finally get off, I'd barely be able to stay on my feet! That would set her worry off, all over again!"

With his happy memories of all his giddy experiences on the roundabout before them running through his head, Sora took hold of one of its handrails with both hands, then turned to Kairi. "You gettin' on?"

His question - as well as the way his hands were gripped to the rail in front of him - told a delighted Kairi that he intended to control the spinning motions of the roundabout whilst she was seated on it. Her eyes sparkled with pleasure at the thought of this, as it was clearly another one of his acts to make sure she was having fun. She gave him an eager nod to him, then hopped up onto the roundabout to sit down on one of the two metal seats. She could feel herself getting goose bumps of exhilaration over the ride she was about to enjoy.

"Can you make it go fast?" she asked Sora gleefully.

"I sure can! You'd better hold on tight, Kairi, 'cause it's gonna go _really_ fast!" The large grin Sora was wearing shortened to a small smile, and the dramatic tone of his voice softened for what he had to tell her next. "Although I'll make sure not to make you dizzy."

Rather than simply decreasing in size, like the boy's had, Kairi's grin vanished completely. What he had just assured her had led her to be very taken aback. Understanding that he was just being his usual protective self towards her, but not wanting him to worry about her over a harmless bit of fun, she gazed in her surprise towards him. The sides of her mouth curled slowly upwards to create a much smaller smile that was filled with the same level of sweetness.

"It's okay, Sora," she said. "I don't mind getting dizzy."

"But I don't want to do that to you." Sora began to tread around the roundabout with his hands still gripped onto the same rail. He was pulling on it with all his strength so that it began to rotate with the girl still on it. His footsteps were gradually building speed as he ran in a circle along the mulch. He was still grinning widely at Kairi, certain that in a few seconds, he would erase the blank look she was now giving him and replace it with one full of enjoyment. "Don't worry, Kairi. I'll still make sure you get a very fast ride. I just don't want you to feel dizzy when you come off."

Kairi had built up a comment about the overprotective way Sora was behaving inside her head, but refrained herself from passing it onto him in case it would only offend him. She turned her head away from him to watch her surroundings spin around her - or more correctly, watch her surroundings _appear _to spin around her as she was being swivelled on the roundabout. The rest of the playground equipment, the fencing, nearby trees, glows from lampposts and the moon passed by repeatedly. Kairi could not feel any dizziness building up inside her head - but even though Sora was making the roundabout rotate very quick now, her ride was not going at the speed she had been expecting it to.

"Alright!" Sora called out joyfully, causing Kairi to shoot her gaze at him just in time to see him jump up onto the whirling platform to join her. He sat down quickly opposite her in the empty seat. He leaned back to get comfortable and faced her with the same broad grin - failing to realize that the roundabout's motion was already losing speed. "Having fun, Kairi?"

"Can't you make it go faster than this, Sora?" she asked innocently. She was smiling at him again in an effort to not sound rude or ungrateful whilst making her request. It was fantastic to get a chance to ride on a roundabout with him, but she felt that a raise in its velocity would increase the excitement of the action.

Sora's grin faded when he heard the girl's question. It left him feeling a little bewildered, but not because she just wanted the acceleration of the roundabout to be higher. It was only now he realized that it was already slowing down, leaving him to admit their ride could be a lot more fun than this. Another few seconds and it would stop completely. He could make it spin a lot faster than it was now - without Kairi ending up feeling dizzy.

"Alright then!" he answered determinedly, getting up from his seat. "Your wish is my command!"

His promising reply led Kairi's smile to widen in liveliness as she watched him jump off the platform and back onto the ground. Grabbing the rail that was in front of him, he pulled firmly on it and began to run in a circuit again. He brought up the speed of the rotating roundabout, as well as the mood of the girl it was carrying. Her eyes were fixed onto Sora, watching him sprint along his circular path. She was becoming increasingly thrilled over the thought of the dizzying ride she was hoping he would bring to her.

Unbeknownst to her, the boy felt that the acceleration he had just brought to the spinning device was fast enough for her. It was twirling a little more quicker than when he had first sent it into motion, but it was still not going at a speed which would make her feel giddy. Satisfied with this, Sora jumped back up onto the revolving platform and took his seat opposite Kairi again. He gave the grin that had returned to his face, expecting her to be pleased with the ride she was receiving now. "This better for you?"

Kairi was gazing directly at him with another stumped expression. The roundabout's spinning motions had still not been brought up to a speed she would have liked. It was obvious he was still refusing to make her feel dizzy, which was exactly what she had been hoping would happen to her. A dizzy, fast ride would be so much fun and exciting - and it would also help to dig out a few memories inside her head while it was spinning.

"Kairi?" Sora exclaimed, perturbed. All the excitement that had just been in his expression was gone and his eyes were quickly filling up with deep alert. He was very dismayed to see that Kairi was not smiling. "Are you alright? You look like you're not enjoying yourself!"

Her hero's horrified outburst made Kairi jerk herself upwards in alarm. She hadn't realized how the way she was act was taking such an impact on him. Angry with herself, she gave a small furious shake of her head, frowning in disgust over her own behaviour. She had led him to believe his efforts to make her have fun weren't working - which wasn't the slightest bit true. Going out in the late hours of the night with him to visit a playground so they could venture on its equipment together had been amazing. Her heart was full of gratitude towards him for giving her such an opportunity. What she had been hoping would happen to her on the roundabout, however, had led her to accidently make him worry about her and assume she was not enjoying her ride on the device with him. The only way to put his mind at ease would be to tell him what she wanted him to do, despite the fact he was reluctant to do it.

"Kairi...?" Sora murmured softly, his face now full of worry for her.

"Sora..." The girl smiled meekly at him in the hope that she would make clear how appreciative she was. "Please don't think of this as me being ungrateful, because I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me tonight." She lowered her head and gazed down at her feet, feeling her cheeks turning red. "In fact, I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me these last few days. It's just that-"

"You're not enjoying yourself!" Sora interrupted, finishing what he believed was everything Kairi had to tell him. He dropped his gaze from her and closed his disappointed eyes. He felt very upset with how the ride on the roundabout seemed to be going for her. It was undoubtedly failing to be as fun for her as he hoped it would be, which could only mean he was letting her down. "It's okay, Kairi. I understand. All you had to do was tell me-"

"No, Sora! It isn't that at all!" Kairi cried. She was aghast to see him distraught over what she had made him think. She had to set him right and erase the false notion that was inside his mind. "I've loved every second of coming out here with you tonight! As I've told you, I would've adored playing here with you when we were little!" She placed a hand onto her heart. "So to come here and play on everything with you has been so wonderful, regardless of how old we are now!"

Lifting his head back up, Sora opened his eyes to face Kairi again, this time with uncertainty over what he should believe. "Are you sure? This isn't boring for you, is it?"

"No! Absolutely not! I swear!" The girl held up her hands and let her face fall heavily into them. Her shoulders sagged as she let off a small half-muffled groan into her palms, ashamed of herself for putting the boy through stress and misery. "I'm so sorry. I've ruined everything now."

"No! No you haven't!" Sora remarked, instantly becoming perturbed again, now over seeing Kairi put herself down. He reached forward to place a hand comfortingly onto her shoulder. "You haven't ruined anything at all! Please don't think that!"

The fingers covering Kairi's eyes slid slowly downwards to allow her to look in surprise at the hand on her shoulder. They remained fixed onto it for a few seconds before she averted them away and sent her half-hidden stunned expression towards Sora. The roundabout had now slowed down to a stop, so they were now just sitting on it opposite one another with all the delight they had been feeling that night replaced with completely different emotions. Kairi trembled slightly. Even with most of Sora's hand being covered by the material of his glove (leaving only his fingers free), the soft feeling of it on her shoulder was being secretly relished by her. It was made of all his care for her which brought her a lovely feeling of warmth - but it was unable to put an end to how angry she was with herself.

"What is it?" Sora asked, wanting to find out what he had stopped her from expressing. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and ran his thumb lightly over it.

With the boy's tenderness making her feel less distressed, Kairi let her hands fall from her face - revealing that her cheeks had become a lot redder. "All it is, Sora, is that ... I _want_ you to make me dizzy."

"Huh?" Sora's face flashed with bemusement. Learning that she desired what he had been trying to prevent sounded very odd to him.

"I know you're just trying to protect me, as usual, and I appreciate that." Kairi gave him a small smile, having expected his reaction to her request before she had even gotten the words out of her mouth. "But I don't want you to, this time. I want you to spin me around super fast and make me feel dizzy. That would be an awesome ride!"

"Are you sure about this, Kairi?" Sora asked uneasily.

"A hundred percent. The only thing you're gonna have to worry about is me not wanting you to stop!" Kairi giggled. "Just like I never wanted Grandma to stop whenever she'd spin me around all those years ago."

Sora's head perked up in interest at the mention of her past again. "There was a roundabout in the playground your Grandma would take you to?" he remarked. "Did you get dizzy on that?"

"Every single time!" Kairi laughed heartily. "And I loved it so much, Sora! So I'd love to get to do that again!"

As his confidence over doing what the girl wanted began to rise, a sudden thought struck Sora's mind. It made his eyes widen in shock and realization. His jaw hung ajar for a moment before his lips broadened into a crooked, guilty smile. "I've been like my mom, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you have a bit, Sora!" The girl let off even harder giggles which filled the quiet playground. Sora had finally comprehended what he hadn't earlier; how determined he had been not to let her get dizzy had perhaps been exactly like how Nikkou might have behaved had when he would ride on this very roundabout when he was little. She had refused to tell him in fear that he would take it as an insult towards his mother. Now that he had just admitted it himself, she couldn't help tittering in response and telling him he was right.

"Sorry, Kairi ... but I can make up for that!"

Taking his hand away from her shoulder and giving her a crafty grin, Sora got up from his seat. He leapt off the platform and back onto the ground, grabbing hold of the handrail that was nearest him once again. His excited gaze never left the one being sent to him. He intended to give Kairi the ride of her life. "You'd better hang onto your seat!"

Kairi giggled again in her delight, then watched as Sora threw the handrail to one side, sending the roundabout back into motion with her still on it. The trees and the other equipment passed by again, but this time, her hero wasn't remaining in her view. He was not running in a circle and dragging the device around, like he had before. As she was carried past him, she had enough time to see that he was in the same spot he had landed onto and was grabbing the rails to hurl them in the direction the roundabout was spinning. He was quickly bringing up the speed it was going at - as well as the felicity Kairi was in.

"Hang on tight, Kairi!" Sora warned, casting the next handrails to come near him the same way they were all being carried in. His eyes followed the girl in amusement as she continued to spin around in front of him. "This is gonna get faster..."

"Bring it on!" Kairi answered daringly. She took hold onto the two handrails that were each on one side of her seat and clutched them tightly. She laughed loudly at how all her surroundings were now nothing more than a speeding blur. The air batting at her head told her how fast she was going. The locks and bangs of her hair were blowing about wildly, and she was already starting to feel a little dazed. She knew it was due to how fast Sora's was making her spin. If he carried on working to make the roundabout whirl faster than this, then he would probably make her so dizzy, she wouldn't be able to stay on her feet.

That was exactly what Kairi was hoping for. It was how she would always come off the roundabout in the playground she would visit with her grandmother. She had never once felt balanced when stepping off it. She sat back with a grin in her seat as she waited for the dizziness to take over her. She had made it clear to Sora that she wanted to come off with her head continuing to spin, so he obviously had no intention of backing out now. The ride he was bringing to her was now enlivening and giddying - just like how the spinning rides she enjoyed when she was much younger always would be.

"Feeling dizzy yet?" Sora called to her. He had made the roundabout's rotation reach a speed he had been afraid for it to go near earlier. He was not showing any signs of getting ready to slow it down as he kept it moving whilst waiting for Kairi's response to his question.

Kairi turned her head to the spot where Sora was doing his job, but found she couldn't face him for very long, as she was being carried past him too quickly. "A bit!"

"Well don't think I'm gonna stop yet! I'm gonna show you exactly what a dizzying ride on here is like! I had loads of them all those years ago, so you're not leaving this park without getting one!"

With another powerful toss of the moving handrails nearest him, Sora escalated the acceleration of the roundabout up even higher, chuckling as he did so. He intended to make Kairi's ride much faster than it was now. She had requested this, so she was going to be spinning at the speed he would go at when he'd ride the device when he was very little.

"_Woooooaaaaahhh!_" Kairi cried loudly. She could feel the velocity of the roundabout going up even higher, and her head was becoming a bit more faint. Sora had already succeeded to make her mad ride a dizzying one - and she decided she didn't want to be any dizzier than this. She was revolving as fast as she used to on the roundabout she'd play on years ago. She had received her wish and was pleased to have gotten the chance to do it again, but now felt she'd been spinning for long enough (as well as fast enough).

She held up a hand to signal Sora to stop, trying to keep her arm straight as the air pounded it. "Alright, Sora! I wanna get off now!"

"But your ride isn't over yet!" Sora teased, still sending the roundabout in motion with the same amount of force in his arms.

"But-"

"You wanted a fast ride, Kairi! You wanted me to make you dizzy!" The taunting in the boy's reminder reached her easily as she twirled around in front of him. "So I gotta make sure that happens to you before you get off!"

The next sound to fill the playground was a deafening, high-pitched shriek. Kairi was now spinning too fast to think of any of the sleeping residents she could have possibly woken up. The increased speed she was whirling at made her unable to get up from her seat. All she could do was scream and let off a few laughs as Sora proceeded to make her ride continue.

"_Soorraaa!_" Kairi squealed. "Stoooop iiiit!"

Sora took no notice. The cheeky grin on his face was still as wide as ever. Somehow his arms weren't getting tired from all the throwing of the handrails he had been doing. They were still full of plenty of energy to keep the platform spinning for very long. The girl was in for the fastest roundabout ride of her life, even if she'd had enough of it.

"Alright, Sora!" Kairi chuckled. "I'm dizzy! You can stop now!"

"But I'm not gonna!"

"No, Sora! I'm serious! Stop it! Please!"

The only response she got out of Sora was an amused chortle. He was highly enjoying himself. Despite the girl begging for him to stop (which had been delivered along with her never-ending laughter), there was no way he was going to end her ride yet. It felt far too soon for him. He was certain he could make the roundabout revolve even faster than this. It was going to be spinning with her on it for a very long time...

"_SOORRRAAAAAA! PLEEEEEAASSSEE!_"

Horror suddenly flashed across Sora's face as he finally realized what he was doing; he had allowed himself to get carried away with trying to make Kairi dizzy. It was only due to her loudest plea she had just screamed at him that he had eventually grasped this. With his eyes wide and alarmed, he darted his hands out to seize onto the handrails that flashed by him again. The next thing he knew amongst all his shock was that the roundabout was dragging him along his feet as it continued to rotate with Kairi still on it. The soles of his shoes scraped nosily along the mulch, helping him to bring down the speed of the spinning device.

"I'm sorry, Kairi!" Sora cried, trying to stay on his feet as he was lugged him around in a circle. "I'm really sorry! I'll stop this now!"

Although he was killing the roundabout's speed, it managed to drag him around two laps before slowing to a complete stop. Now that it was no longer in motion, Sora released his grip on the handrail. He gaped in his terror to where Kairi was still sitting, feeling his stomach tense up in fear at the sight of how giddy he had made her. Her hands were still fixed onto the rails on each side of her. She was making no movement to get up, appearing to be unable to. Her seat was on the corner on Sora's right, so he was able to observe the dazed expression on her face, which she was unintentionally sending up to the stars.

"Kairi?" Sora murmured, worrying about her all over again. "Are you alright?"

Without answering, Kairi tightened her grip on the handrails she was holding onto and used them to pull herself to her feet - only to stagger unsteadily from her loss of balance. Her spinning head was feeling very heavy. Her surroundings still appeared to be revolving around her, even though her ride had at last come to an end. She faltered to her right and propped herself up on another one of the rails, having barely any control of her movements.

Seeing her struggle to stay upright made Sora swallow nervously. What was happening before him was exactly what he had originally intended to avoid. Although Kairi had told him that she _wanted_ him to make her dizzy, he wondered if she was beginning to wish she could take back her unusual request. She was not showing any signs of enjoying being unable to walk tidily - or the hazy feeling of her head still whirling.

In an effort to get herself off the roundabout, Kairi let go of the rail she was holding onto and staggered sideways to her left across the platform. She managed to stop herself on the edge in front of Sora. She was still in too much of a daze to turn to him, so she didn't notice the panic-stricken look he was giving her. She was aware he was right beside her, so she lifted up a foot to join him on the ground, but by that point, any control she'd had of herself had completely gone. Now with her body under the full command of her severe dizziness, she lurched around until her back was to Sora, then with her arms stretched out and waving around in the air, she began to slip backwards and fell off the platform with a cry. "Whoa!"

"_Kairi!_" Sora hollered, casting his arms out immediately whilst watching with horrified eyes as she fell in reverse towards him.

The next thing Kairi knew was - much to her surprise that erased her shock - she was no longer toppling backwards and had been stopped from hitting the ground. As her wooziness finally faded from her head, she realized that a pair of large hands were holding each of her sides. They brought a wide soft grin onto her face. Blushing over how she had been saved from falling off the roundabout and onto her back, she lifted her head to look up behind her at the fast-acting boy who had caught her.

"Grandma never made me feel this dizzy," she murmured to him, giggling.

"Are you alright, Kairi?" Sora asked her again. He gazed down worriedly into her gleaming expression, his hands remaining still and never letting go of her.

"Yeah, Sora!" Her voice was now suddenly loud and filled with euphoria. "That was an awesome ride!"

"I didn't make you _too _dizzy, did I?"

Kairi chuckled. "Sora, if you'd taken me here when we were little and spun me around on there that fast, I would've loved it just as much as I did now."

Sora smiled in relief as he helped Kairi to her feet. "I'm sorry I didn't stop when you told me to."

"Oh, Sora, you don't have to apologize! You were just having fun, like I was!" The girl turned around to send him a crafty little smirk (which was similar to the one her had given to her earlier), as well as a wink. "I'd have done the same to you if it was me spinning you, and you were begging me to stop."

What she had just freely admitted to him made Sora unable to help laughing as he folded his arms. He was certain Kairi would indeed have done that to him if she had been in control of the roundabout. She was the kindest person ever with the sweetest and largest heart - but she still occasionally enjoyed some harmless fun where he would be at the receiving end. That never stopped his love for her from growing stronger each day. There wasn't anything or anybody in the universe which had the power to destroy how he felt about her.

As soon as his laughter came to an end, it was followed immediately by the next sound to be let out into the night air; a half-muffled yawn from Kairi.

Sora's eyes widened as he watched his friend lower the hand she'd just used to cover her mouth, then she let her head sink down towards her shoulder, only to jerk it back up. She was clearly exhausted - and that was understandable; they had been spending their time in the playground during hours when they were supposed to be asleep in bed. It must have been all the fun they'd had which had kept himself from feeling weary himself. He knew he had to take her home so she could get all the sleep he'd deprived from her.

"Oh sorry, Sora," Kairi apologized sleepily. She had realized only too late that she had just yawned before Sora and was now in the middle of rubbing her tired eyes in front of him. She hoped she was not appearing to be rude, but found there was no way to hide how worn out she was from all the merriment they had been sharing.

Sora grinned at her. "I think somebody's ready for bed."

Kairi gazed up at him, having enough energy to raise her lips to give him a tired yet grateful smile, as well as to lift her heavy arms and put them around him. "Thanks for this fantastic night out," she said, resting her head cosily onto his chest. "I've loved every minute of playing here with you."

"I have, too, Kairi," Sora told her. The grin remained on his face from the lovely feeling of his heart fluttering where her head was. He wrapped his arms around her and held her back warmly, gazing silently around them to take in all the equipment they had enjoyed themselves on.

It was only then that he noticed the tall basketball net standing opposite them at the far end of the fenced-off area. He realized in surprise that it was the only part of the playground they had not bothered with. It didn't matter to him, though. They'd already had a wonderful time using the climbing frame, seesaw, swings and roundabout. Although he had brought his ball along for them to attempt to throw it into the net, they had already had fun with it earlier when they had played in the soccer field on the way. He was also reminding himself just how impossible it had been when he was little to attempt to hurl the very same ball through the hoop he was gazing at, only for it to miss every single time. He was doubtful he would have been able to succeed that night if he tried after all the long-passed time. Though he and Kairi would have probably had a laugh over any failed attempts they might have had to throw the ball through the hoop, they had not given the net any thought. It was only now when they were about to leave when he remembered it, and she was clearly in no state to give it a go. She probably didn't even have enough energy to throw the ball up over their heads.

Shrugging off the net and thinking no more of it, Sora smiled down at the exhausted girl in his arms. "Are you ready to go now?"

Kairi nodded wearily. She was resisting the urge to fall asleep on him - no matter how much she wanted to and how comfortable he was making her feel.

"Just gotta get my ball before we leave."

Sora reluctantly pulled away from her, but grasped her hand tightly in his, then turned away from the beaming, blushing face before him. He led the girl over to where he had left his ball resting against the section of the fence beside the gate. Once he was standing in front of it, he lowered himself down by bending his knees and picked it up with his free hand, holding it out in front of him. The moonlight shimmering down on them illuminated the ball's red colour, allowing Sora to see all of the numerous places on it where his name was displayed in black. He grinned softly at it. Even though he had originally intended to use it on the basketball net, he felt that playing with it on the soccer field with Kairi had been much a much better idea. It had not been amongst the plans he had arranged for them to do that night, but he was really glad they had ended up doing so. It had really added to all the fun they'd had together, as well as allowed her to visit not just one, but _two _places from his childhood which he had never taken her to before.

"C'mon then, Kairi," Sora said, holding the ball against his side and pressing his upper arm on it so that he could use his hand to pull open the gate. "Let's get you home before you drop off here."

Kairi just giggled softly as she allowed Sora to lead her off the mulch-covered ground and out of the playground she'd finally played in with him. The gate swung shut behind them with a slight clunking noise as it locked itself back into the latch. Sora proceeded to guide Kairi down the path that had led them to the pleasant place they were just leaving behind now. It would take them past the school and soccer pitch again, and before long they would be returning to the estate they lived in. Once they would arrive there, Sora was going to have to attempt to sneak quietly back into his house and slip into his room without waking his mother up. He was trying his best to not the think of that for the moment, but he knew that it was going to be very difficult. If he made a noise whilst going through the front door which would drive Nikkou from her sleep, urging her to scramble out of her bed and down the stairs to catch him in the doorway, she would instantly learn he had been sneaking out of the house during the night. She'd definitely make sure he wouldn't be able to the same thing, the following night, for which he had already had an idea on how he intended to surprise Kairi next.

Putting the stressful thoughts out of his mind as best he could, Sora headed further down the path, taking only with him the ball and the sleepy princess. Each of his steps was bringing him further away from the old park he had visited for the first time in nearly sixteen years. He had really adored his first time of taking Kairi there.

What he couldn't erase from his head - which he chose not to remind her of - was the possibility that it would turn out to be the _only_ time they would get to play there together...

* * *

**Chose to end it with that line to remind you guys of how all this happy activities Sora and Kairi are enjoying together are happening under sad circumstances. And as the ending is starting the draw close, we will eventually be finding out the results that the circumstances will lead to. **

**Before that happens, though, more surprises are on the way. For Kairi - and for you guys. ;)**


	58. Severely Exhausting Morning

**Woohoo! A very quick update, shortly after the last one. I haven't been able to do one of those in a while. XD**

**The reason this update has arrived so quick will be good news for those of you who are probably sick of my long chapters; this one is thankfully much shorter! So I actually felt relaxed writing this, knowing it wouldn't take too long.**

**And here it is!**

* * *

The sky was showing signs of the sun's approaching arrival by the time Sora and Kairi had made it back to their estate. Their hands were still joined as they made their way together past the rows of silent, sleeping houses. They followed the sidewalk underneath the luminous glow of another streetlamp, which would not be required to do its job for much longer. The islands were still in dimness, but there was only a few more hours left before daylight would completely burn it away. Already the atmosphere was a little brighter. The sky was now a dark purple colour instead of pitch black, and the stars had been replaced by faint traces of orange morning light.

Despite her exhaustion, Kairi was enjoying getting to walk with Sora at such an inactive, early hour. Her tired eyes were taking in all the colours that had taken over the islands. She was amazed by how beautiful they were. To walk underneath them with the boy she loved felt so fantastic and magical.

"Here we are then, Kairi."

Sora had begun to lead her across the idle road, stepping up onto the sidewalk on the opposite side when they reached it. They entered the street where the two of them lived. The houses remained soundless, all undisturbed by the teenagers' presence. None of their windows were lit up by any of their indoor lights. There was not even any sign of anyone leaving to do a morning work shift, and the cars that had been parked there the day before were still on the same spots and driveways. The pair of young lovers headed together past the closest dark shape perched up on the sidewalk, both grinning over the fact they were only ones out, wide awake.

"Thanks for taking me out again, Sora," Kairi said, feeling the need to make him know how grateful she was once more.

"You already thanked me tonight, Kairi," Sora reminded her. Squeezing her hand gently, he gave her a soft grin which stood out in the bleak atmosphere. "Or this morning, rather. I think this has actually been half a night out and half a morning out, don't you?"

Kairi giggled sweetly, then suddenly gave the boy a worried look as they continued their way down the street. "Will you be okay getting back into your house, Sora?"

"Of course I will." Seeing how abruptly troubled Kairi looked caused Sora's smile to vanish. "Why d'you ask, Kairi? What's wrong?"

"I just don't want you to get in trouble with your mom because of me."

The grin quickly returned to Sora's face, brought back by Kairi's care towards him, which made him feel very moved. He put his arm comfortingly around her shoulders, stopping them both outside the gateway of her house. "I won't get in trouble, Kairi," he assured her. "'Cause Mom's not gonna know we've been out together. I'll be making extra sure not to wake her up when I sneak back into my room."

"Make extra _extra _sure that you don't."

"I will. And don't worry, Kairi, I won't get caught; I'm Sneaky Sneakers, remember?" Sora chuckled cheerily. He hoped that describing himself with the nickname Kairi had given him when he had snuck out to pick her up would put an end to her worry, as well as lift her confidence over him being able to creep back into his house without being detected.

Though she managed to give him a brief, amused smile, there was still seriousness visible inside her eyes. "Will you be able to get any sleep?"

"I will until Mom gets me up. As you know, she wants me to go out with her again today." Sora paused, but held his smile. "I'll have a little sleep in the car on the way back. She won't suspect anything, and I'll be all ready to take you out again tonight."

Kairi's eyes widened a little as the sides of her lips curled slowly back upwards. Sora's day of spending time with his mother was already planned ahead of him, and yet here he was, telling her that she was in for another trip out with him when night would fall. She shook her head at him in disbelief. She felt he needed to think of Nikkou before giving any thought to her - especially with the reality that his time with his mother was possibly now much shorter than before.

She kept the emotion that was piercing its way through her heart concealed as she gazed softly up at him.

"You have to enjoy your day with your mom first," she murmured, lifting a hand to rub the arm around her shoulders. "She wants to spend time with you, too. Don't spend your day thinking about me. Your mom wants you to have a lovely time out with her."

"I will," Sora said. He knew that refraining himself from thinking about the girl would be impossible to do, but he was certainly going to manage to enjoy his day out with his mother. Dropping his ball from his hand, he let it fall to the ground with a thud and held it down with his foot so that he could wrap his other arm around Kairi. "And then when my lovely day out with Mom is over, I'll have another lovely night out with my best friend in the universe."

Feeling some of the agony in her heart being driven away by the boy's sweet words (even though he was completely unaware of it), Kairi hugged him back tightly with a grin and red cheeks. "Thanks, Sora!"

Sora's grin widened as he held Kairi securely, protecting her from a cold gust of wind that was just passing through the street. He was making the most of having a lovely embrace with the beautiful young Princess of Heart - even though they'd shared so many over the past few hours. That didn't stop this one he was relishing from being just as special as all the rest. Any hug with Kairi would always be so enchantingly wonderful.

The moment the mild morning breeze blowing at them had died down, the loving friends released one another from their arms.

"I'll see you tonight then, Sora," Kairi smiled, raising a hand.

"You sure will!" Sora nodded avidly as he waved in return. He was still giving her the same large grin plastered across his face, but felt very disappointed deep down inside that they were no longer to be in each other's company until the forthcoming night. In spite of knowing they would not be apart for as long as they had been when he had been away from the islands for a year, that did not stop his stomach from sinking with sadness as he watched her stride from him.

After making her way along her garden path to advance up onto her doorstep, Kairi stood before the locked door of her house. She turn to gaze over her shoulder at her hero, giving him another wave. "Good morning then, Sora!" she beamed.

"Yeah! Good morning, Kairi!"

The girl's eyes were fixed to a laughing Sora as she took her house key out of her pouch, but were pulled away from him as she unlocked her door. She pushed it open to step into her darkened, empty house. Turning around, she exchanged waves with the boy for the final time that morning, then lowered her hand and silently watched him begin to make his way further down the sidewalk. She spent a few more seconds letting her eyes follow him as he left her to return to his house, then closed the door with a small bang.

Now that she was completely concealed away from Sora, Kairi stumbled around weakly and slumped back against the door. A pained, agape expression was on her face as she pressed a hand to her heart. Unable to keep her emotions locked inside her any longer, she began to sob softly, sinking slowly downwards until she was sat on the floor. The likelihood of losing the person she deeply loved in three days was taking control of her. It was devastating to face the horrible fact that Sora was possibly nearing the end of his life. Living her own without him being a part of it anymore was something Kairi knew she was never going to be able to do.

Her crying filled the whole house, with Sora not being there to comfort her. Kairi felt broken and feeble, terrified of facing the future that nobody could stop from arriving. She wished with all her shattered heart that she could go back to the day when she and Sora had fallen asleep together under the sun. If she had just patted his face gently or splashed a bit of sea water on it - or had done just about anything that would have driven him from his nap - then he would have never had the lethal lump which had formed onto his arm. She could remember waking up next to him to find he was still fast asleep, but she had just left him there without thinking for one second that he had been lying under the sun for dangerously too long.

Kairi rubbed her eyes as more tears leaked out of them, then lifted herself slowly to her feet and gazed miserably at the staircase in front of her. Alongside all her heartache and sadness, she was still feeling exhausted from her night at the playground. There was nothing more she could do now until Sora would return from spending the whole day with his mother. Any energy she had left would just be drained out by her despair. She would have to get some sleep to feel strengthened and ready for her next trip out with Sora. What she wouldn't feel when she'd wake up would be anywhere near happier.

Trudging heavily away from the door, Kairi walked with sagged shoulders over to the couch, remembering what she had left on it when leaving the house with Sora. The teddy bear and the figure of Amai were still sitting there. They hadn't left the three-seater since Kairi had taken them from her room the previous day to keep her company whilst she had slept downstairs. Whilst she had gone out during the night with the spiky-haired boy, the tiny plastic human figure had silently spent all the quiet time it had with its new furry friend. They had not moved from the couch, but after taking a long wordless look at them, Kairi picked them up, one in each hand.

She held them out in front of her for a few seconds, then hugged them both tightly as another tear ran down her cheek. They were so precious to her, since they were two gifts which Sora had kindly given to her. She needed them both to be near her whilst she slept. So with them both in her arms, she headed back towards the foot of the staircase. Holding the two toys securely, she began to ascend the stairs with the intention of disappearing into her room for a long sleep.

* * *

Outside in the cold street, Sora had only just clumped to a stop in front of his house. His lowered mood had resulted in him taking a long time to follow the sidewalk away from Kairi's abode and end up back at his. He lifted his heavy head, casting his distraught eyes onto the building beside him. Once he would finish the complicated task of sneaking past his slumbering mother, he would have to climb into bed and get us much sleep as he could get before later being disturbed. He had only just begun to realize how weary he was, but all he could think of was what had happened to him when he had last decided to take an unnecessary nap under the sun. His laziness and constant want for sleep had resulted in him catching something that nobody wanted, as it was malicious enough to take his life. That was exactly what it had been trying to do while it had been inside him, and although he had spent the morning of his birthday having it removed from his arm, it may well had been too late to save him. There was no end to the anger he felt towards himself for putting the ones who cared about him through tears and dread over losing him. He was to go to the hospital the following morning to have the dressing on his arm removed, but he would still be waiting to find out if he was to live or perish.

Sora shook his head, trying to keep the distressing thoughts out of his mind as best he could, and approached his house to tread up onto the doorstep. He had to concentrate on sneaking back into his bedroom without waking Nikkou. As he was holding his ball to his side again, he used his free hand to take his mother's set of keys out from his pocket, then inserted the one for the house into the door's keyhole.

* * *

Nikkou opened her eyes, rising from her sleep. The first thought to strike inside her head as she kept it resting on her pillow was of how she was going to be spending the day out with her son. Her heart went heavy as she reminded herself of the terrible reason why. The plausibly of losing her beloved son was something she had always hoped she would have never had to face. Having to wait to find out if his cancer had become terminal or not was putting Nikkou through a terror-stricken state. It was ruthless torture for herself and Sora to be dealing with what he had caught almost a fortnight ago. She'd never once imagined having to go through all this when she had happily became a mother.

Keeping her emotions under control so that she wouldn't be letting them out when waking her sleeping son, Nikkou threw her large duvet off herself and climbed out of the double bed she slept alone in. Dressed in a white nightgown with pink cuffs on the short sleeves, she sat up slowly and placed her bare feet onto the cream-coloured carpet, then stood up and walked to the clothes closest that had been built into the front wall of the room.

There was barely anything else inside her small bedroom, which had been given a coat of aqua green paint. The only other noticeable parts were a large window that had its view which overlooked the street outside blocked out by the pair of green curtains which had been drawn across it - as well as a small picture frame that sat on a bedside table. The frame held a photograph of a younger Nikkou, blushing and grinning in the direction where the camera had been whilst dressed in a white satin wedding dress. She was holding a bouquet of pink tulips in front of her. Standing alongside her was a tall man a few years older than her, who had made sure his short brunette hair had looked presentable for the camera he had been smiling towards as well. He was wearing a spotless black tuxedo and had a little twinkle in each of his blue eyes. Behind them was the church they had been married in. The photograph had been taken on one of the two happiest days in Nikkou's life, the other one being when her son was born. When making her vows with the man, she'd had no idea her marriage with him would last only a total of six years, or that she would become a widow when their son was only four. The picture which stood on the bedside was one of the ways that proved the man who had once lived there had been her husband and Sora's father.

Nikkou closed the closet after putting on the light blue dressing gown she had just taken out from there. She headed out through the door that led to the landing and walked towards where the entrance to her son's room was. The whole house was quiet and she knew Sora would not be awake yet. He would probably do his usual protest when she would try to get him out of bed when he was enjoying a good sleep, but she had no intention of letting him slumber for much longer. If he stayed in bed until a late hour in the day, then they wouldn't be able to spend very long day out together before the sun would go down.

As soon as she reached Sora's bedroom door, Nikkou stood before it and gave it a gentle knock, but then immediately pushed it open without waiting for an answer. She entered the room swiftly, looking down towards the bed - which led to the expression on her face to soften.

Sora's head was resting against the pillow, his eyes fixed shut while the rest of his motionless body was completely covered by his duvet. He looked very content, being so deep in his sleep. She felt he'd been in it for long enough, though, so it was time to get him up.

Nikkou bent over the bed and gently tapped the dormant boy on his shoulder. "Sora! Come on! Time to get up!"

Sora groaned groggily, hearing the voice of his mother disturbing his sleep and feeling his shoulder being patted lightly. His eyelids were too heavy for him to open, for waking up after getting only four hours of sleep was proving to be a tough challenge. He listened to his mother call his name repeatedly, then used as much force as he could to prise his eyes open. Exhausted and weak, he stared up into the smiling face of Nikkou, feeling a little nervous that she would be able to piece together that he had snuck out during the night.

"Come on, Sora," she ordered him motherly. "You can't stay in bed all day."

Sora tried to keep his nerves hidden as his body stiffened under the duvet. "Can you just give me a few more minutes, Mom?"

"A _few _more minutes then." Nikkou turned away from him and headed back towards the open door. "The day will be gone if you don't get up soon."

After she had disappeared from view by pulling the door shut behind her, Sora - trying to ignore his laden weariness - listened out for her footsteps as they began to thump down the stairs. Once the sound of them ended as his mother reached the bottom floor of the house, he heaved himself off his back. He sat up with difficulty and let the duvet fall off his torso, revealing that he had changed into his pyjamas before he had crawled into bed. After slipping back through his front door during the sunrise, he had succeeded to return carefully to his bedroom without disturbing Nikkou and letting her catch him. He would have to keep a straight face to keep her from finding out that he had been doing something she would never allow - which wouldn't be too much of a problem, as he was too exhausted for his face to look guilty. Though she would probably gather from how tired he was that he hadn't slept much during the night, he would have to hope she would not suspect that it was because he had left the house.

Barely managing to keep his weighted head upright, Sora lifted himself to his feet and slogged over to the door. He passed through it sleepily, heading out onto the landing to tromp down the stairs. He dragged his shoulder along the wall as he did to prop himself up. As shattered as he was, he thought to himself how much it was worth it to be like this. He'd had a wonderful night out with the girl who was probably still in the middle of a refreshing sleep that moment. He had loved his time with her, as always, and was pleased to have been able to continue keeping his promise - which he had every intention of proceeding to do by taking her out again that night. He didn't care how tired he was feeling or how much worse he would perhaps feel the following morning. He was prepared to lose plenty of hours' sleep if it meant keeping his oath to Kairi and making her happy.

Once Sora had clumped down to the foot of the staircase, he swerved himself round to pass tiredly through the kitchen doorway. He found Nikkou in the room, pressing down on the switch of a toaster that sat next to a tea pot and a pair of cups on the worktop. As it began to cook the two slices of breads she had placed into it, she turned to face her son.

"Oh, you're up!" she exclaimed, taking in how exhausted he clearly was, but having no idea what he had been up to during the night. "You alright?"

Sora nodded and dropped himself into a chair at the table. "Where're we going today then?" he mumbled.

"We're gonna go out to the countryside. There's a part of it I used to take you to a lot when you were little."

Nikkou carefully poured the freshly-brewed tea out from the teapot and into the cups. She picked them up, one in each hand, and made her way slowly over towards the table. Her head was swirling with endless thoughts on having to take Sora to the hospital the following day. He probably had the same thing on his mind, too, so she wanted to attempt to clear it out by keeping their focus on what they were going to be doing in a few hours.

Taking the chair opposite Sora, Nikkou placed one of the cups down in front of him. She lifted her head to take in how slouchy he was sitting with a lowered, weary gaze, which made her feel a little concerned about him. "You sure you're alright, Sora?"

"Mm?" The boy lifted his enervated head up to face his worried mother. "Oh, I'm fine, Mom. I'm just still tired, that's all."

"Did you sleep last night? You were flat out when I checked in on you."

Sora had to force himself not to smile or snigger, being reminded of when he had been pretending to be asleep whilst she had been looking over him in the dark. "Yeah, I slept alright," he answered, choosing to refer to after he had come home from the playground so that he wouldn't be lying. "I just can't wake up this morning."

"Well drink some of your tea then!" Nikkou laughed, nodding at his cup before taking a gulp from her own. "Which reminds me; I'd better bring plenty of food with us for when we have lunch."

After emptying some of the hot tea from his cup into his mouth, Sora gulped it down and prepared himself to let out a question he needed to ask. "Mom ... can I go for a quick walk before we leave?"

"Huh?" Nikkou gave her son a surprised look, a little taken aback by what he'd just asked if he could do. "You wanna go for a walk?"

Sora nodded innocently.

"What for?"

"Well..." The boy shrugged as he tried to act casual, ensuring his request sounded normal and had no reason for his mother to deny it. "A quick walk round the estate might wake me up."

"But I want us to get out of here soon, Sora."

"I won't be long." Sora had to keep himself from raising his voice and going into a big protest, which would automatically activate Nikkou's suspicions. "Just around the estate and back. I'll only be about five or ten minutes. C'mon, Mom, I'll come straight back. Then we'll have all day out in the countryside."

Everything she was hearing right now was nothing but puzzling to Nikkou. She couldn't understand why her son so badly wanted to go for a walk around the estate, especially when they were about to go out for the day. He had rarely ever gone for walks on his own before, spending most of his time out of the house on the smaller island in the company of Kairi and Riku. To be asked out of the blue if he could do what he strangely wanted was not something Nikkou could take in without finding it baffling.

On the other hand, she couldn't find anything wrong with him going off to do a bit of exercise and getting a little fresh air before sharing plenty of it with her. It would indeed only take him five or ten minutes to walk around the estate. Although they would probably leave the house a little later than she had intended, they would still have the whole day ahead of them to enjoy their time in the countryside.

Nikkou took one gulp of tea from her cup, then lowered it back down from her mouth to reveal she was smiling softly at her son. "Alright then, Sora," she said. "A _quick_ walk, though, 'cause I want us to be out of here by eleven."

Inside his head, Sora cheered loudly, which he managed to keep himself from doing for real, as he knew it would make his mother learn he was up to something. He now had the chance he needed to plan the night ahead. Keeping all his delight unseen, he gave his mother a tired smile as the toaster popped behind him on the worktop. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're not going without a bit of breakfast first," Nikkou warned, laughing lightly as she got up from her chair to walk over to the cupboard that held all her dishware. She pulled open one of its doors to lift out a small plate, then took a knife from the drawer above it before getting a tub of butter from the refrigerator. She set them all down onto the worktop, took the toast out of the toaster and began to butter it on the plate. "And you've got to get ready for the day."

* * *

"I'll be back soon, Mom!" Sora called, slipping his feet into his shoes. He was now dressed into his regular clothing, having finished his breakfast and used the bathroom, making himself free to leave the house for his 'walk'.

"Right, well don't be too long then!" Nikkou called back. Her voice had hollered from the kitchen, where she was busy packing food into carrier bags to take with them on their trip out.

"I won't!" Sora pulled open the front door, feeling a breeze of air blow at him and into the house. His tired eyes could see that the morning was much brighter than it had been when he and Kairi had been walking through it earlier. The sun was now looming above the islands, lighting it up the blue sky as if it was willing to make the day Nikkou was going to spend with him as beautiful as it could.

As he prepared to step out into the open air, Sora turned back towards the kitchen doorway. The corner of his eye caught sight of his mother's set of keys resting on the small table nearby. He was thankful they were still in the place where he had returned them when he had crept back through the front door. Forgetting to leave them there would have been all Nikkou would need to learn he had been up to something she'd undoubtedly demand to know about.

Stepping out onto the doorstep, Sora took hold of the handle behind him. "I'll see you in a bit, Mom!"

"Okay!" Nikkou shouted in reply. "Bye, Sora!"

Sora pulled the door shut behind him, then clumped heavily past his mother's parked car, trying to keep his head upright. He wasted no time as soon he was on the sidewalk. He followed it hurriedly towards the end of the street, knowing he couldn't let his exhaustion keep him from acting fast. It would take him more than five or ten minutes to do the task on his mind. He was not going to have any other chance throughout the day to carry it out, which would mean Kairi's next surprise wouldn't be ready for her that night if he didn't do it now. His mother would probably question why he had been gone for so long when he would return to the house, but he would just tell her that he had ran into someone from school and had stopped to chat.

As he hastily made his way out of the street and passed the rows of houses, Sora's mind raced with how quickly he was going to have to work when he reached his destination. He'd have to make sure he wouldn't keep his mother waiting for too long, but he also had to make sure everything would be all set when he would return there with Kairi at around midnight. He grinned widely to himself over the thought of their next outing together. His stomach was trembling a little in nervousness, as he hoped she was going to love it as much as he knew he would.

The job would also give him a chance to wake himself up with a splash of cold water.

* * *

**A splash of cold water! That's your clue as to where Sora is going to be taking Kairi in the next chapter; it's something to do with water. You'll find out what in the next chapter. ;)**


	59. Nobody's Delight

**Another quick update! Yay! I managed to get this chapter completed eight days after the last one - which got finished eight days after the one that came before that. :P**

**This chapter was actually very difficult to write, so I hope it doesn't look bad. There are also quite a lot of cutaways, as I didn't wanna bore you guys with things you'd already seen in the previous chapters.**

* * *

After swallowing one last mouthful of cereal, Kairi held the spoon she'd been using up in front of her face. She stared silently at it in her distress for a few seconds, then dropped it into the empty bowl that was sitting in front of her on the kitchen table. The glowing ceiling lamp above her had lit up the entire room. It allowed her to clearly see as she peered up towards the clock that the time was ten past eleven in the night. The tediously-long day had dragged too slowly for her, even though she'd slept through most of it. She hoped she wouldn't have to wait another whole hour for Sora to arrive and take her on her next trip out.

Kairi sighed heavily. She was still feeling a little tired from staying awake through the previous night. She had woken up at around twenty-five to three that afternoon, and before she had even pulled herself out of bed, she had been struck with the same heart-wrenching thought that had been in her head since she had returned from the playground. Her fear of losing Sora in three days had dominated her mind over the hours. As the day had lugged on slowly, she knew in her despair that her best friend's life possibly drawing closer to its end with each depressing second.

Getting to her feet, Kairi picked up the bowl that had held her late night snack and carried it over to the dish washer. She placed it inside with the spoon, then threw the door shut with a thud before trudging towards the doorway to the lounge, switching off the kitchen light as she left the room with a pained expression. She made her way over to the couch, dropping herself onto it. There was no way for her to know how much longer her time of waiting was going to last.

"Please come soon, Sora," she murmured, her breath taking out some of the frustration she had built up through the long day. Aside from the clock ticking in the kitchen, her voice was the only sound to fill the quiet house. Riku had not visited her, like he had done the previous day. She had spent her hours of being awake all alone with no one to talk to. There hadn't even been any phone calls.

Kairi stared blankly down towards the floor. Although she was tired of waiting for him, she wasn't the slightest bit annoyed with Sora. All she felt towards him was her gratefulness and love for him. Right now, he was probably in the middle of the laborious and nerving task of trying to slip out of his house again. She still couldn't believe that he was willing to risk getting into trouble with Nikkou and lose sleep - just to take them both on a night-out for her.

The pressure of her sadness was too great for Kairi to keep inside herself for much longer. It had just filled her eyes with tears which were ready to fall. Sora was truly the kindest, most wonderful person ever. He had done so much for her, even long before he had caught the deadly disease which wanted to take him from her. To have him come into her life had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. Terrified that his enormous heart would soon stop beating, she let off a loud sob, preparing to bawl all her emotions out again.

"Kairi?"

Kairi froze, her eyes widening in surprise as the tears began to fall. A sudden, soft voice had just spoken to her, filling the quiet atmosphere of the building. There wasn't anybody visible, since no one had just entered the house, yet she realized now that she wasn't alone. The voice had been one which had spoken to her a few nights ago. Although it had taken her aback again, she had recognised it instantly this time. It had made a small, sad smile creep its way onto her face, for she was very glad to hear from the kind soul who it belonged to.

"Are you okay?"

The girl quickly dried her eyes (not wanting to cry whilst being spoken to by the one accompanying her), then rested her hand onto her forehead. "Hey, Naminé."

"Are you alright?" the Nobody asked from inside her. There was clear sadness and concern in her voice as it was let out from Kairi's body and into the soundless room.

The fifteen-year old's smile faded from her face, her hand falling from her head. She didn't bother attempting to hide her sorrow from Naminé; she would have surely witnessed it all day from within her. Any emotional breakdowns or silent moments of sadness could never be hidden from her. Kairi wondered in guilt if her pain had affected the blonde-haired Nobody at all. Despite having no heart, she was still perfectly capable of feeling emotions and pain, and had confirmed on the night before Sora's birthday she was also devastated by the fact he had cancer. After spending an whole day allowing her agony to take complete control of her feelings, Kairi was now afraid she had put Naminé through torture and suffering as well.

"I'm sorry, Naminé," she apologised faintly.

"No, no, Kairi!" Naminé answered dismissively. "You don't have to apologise for-"

"Yes I do." There was anguish and shame in Kairi's soft tone as she interrupted her Nobody. "This is probably affecting you, too. I'm sorry if my mood today has been hurting you as well."

There was a pause before Naminé spoke again, and when she did, her voice was filled with a tender warmth. "Kairi, you need to let your emotions out. You haven't brought me any pain. I haven't been suffering any more than the rest of you have."

"The rest of us?" Kairi murmured, confused.

"You know..." A deep, unhappy sigh which came from Naminé escaped out of Kairi's body. "You, Sora, his mom, Riku ... and all your friends."

The mention of everyone she knew who was affected by Sora having cancer caused Kairi's shoulders to sag. Every one of them felt the exact way she did. She was not the only one who was terrified that the boy would lose his life. Even her Nobody was going through the same ordeal.

Inside the distraught girl, Naminé was able to smile softly. "Sora's been so good to you these past few days," she said.

"He has," Kairi agreed. "He's been so amazing; taking me out and giving his time to me, surprising me and making us have fun together." The lovely thoughts of everything they had done in each other's company over the past ten days brought a grin to her face. "He's been an angel, Naminé. I'll always be grateful for everything he's selflessly done for me."

Naminé's own smile - which Kairi could not see - strengthened. "I've really enjoyed everything he's done for you, too."

"Oh yeah!" Kairi cried elatedly, realizing that for every wonderful second she had spent having fun with Sora, the girl inside her would have been there, too. "What d'you think of all the things we've done, Naminé?"

"They've been fantastic!" Naminé said cheerily. "Sora really knows how to give you a lovely surprise! And he's given you plenty of them! I really loved the day at Disney Castle, when you two were king and queen."

"Yeah, I loved that, too," Kairi tittered, thinking happily back to the day she had spent on Queen Minnie's throne with her crown on her head and Sora ruling the palace at her side.

Naminé giggled. "Does being your Nobody make me a princess?"

"I guess so," came the reply with a chuckle.

The blonde-haired soul went silent for a moment, thinking back to a certain day before she went on. "And I loved the birthday party you threw for him," she said. "You did a splendid job and made him really happy."

Being reminded of what she had arranged for Sora's birthday and how it had made him feel caused Kairi's grin to soften. Modesty was mixing in with her newly-formed felicity. "It was my way of repaying him for everything he'd done for me over the week. I really wanted to give him a very happy birthday."

"And that's exactly what he got, thanks to you, Kairi," Naminé praised her. "I saw through you just how happy you made him. The look on his face when you brought out his cake is something I'll remember forever."

With the image Naminé had just brought up now in her head, Kairi lay back comfortably on the couch and gleefully replayed the minute on Sora's birthday when she had carried his cake over to him. She could remember perfectly just how astounded he had looked when he had cast his eyes onto it. Just thinking back on that special moment made her feel so delighted that he had loved something she had baked for him. She had to agree with Naminé; the way he had reacted to the sight of the cake was too heart-lifting to allow it to fade from her memory for eternity.

"I didn't like it, though, when he spun us around really fast on that roundabout last night," Naminé laughed. Her own memory was going over the rapid ride Kairi had been on the previous night - giving her no choice but to join in on it herself. "You and Sora had no absolutely no idea you were making me dizzy, too! I thought I was gonna fall out of your body when he finally stopped!"

Kairi suddenly shot upwards as her expression flashed brightly, her widened eyes filling up quickly with rapture. All these comments Naminé was making about her experience of witnessing everything she had done with Sora over the past few days had implanted an idea in her head. The thought of it was so exciting, instantly making her anxious for it to be carried out, that she forgot to apologise to her Nobody for making her dizzy.

"Kairi?" Naminé exclaimed, a little stunned by her uplifted mood and curious to know where it had come from.

"Naminé!" Kairi cried buoyantly. "Why don't _you _join in on mine and Sora's night-out tonight?"

"Huh?" The suggestion the red-haired girl in all her delight brought a slightly puzzled frown to Naminé's concealed face, as it didn't make much sense to her.

"You know me and Sora are going out again tonight?"

"Of course. He said to you this morning that he's gonna take you out again. That's why you're sat here waiting for him at this time of the night."

"Well while we're out there doing ... whatever my surprise is tonight, why don't you talk to us? I mean, I know you're stuck inside me, but you can still-"

"Oh no, Kairi," Naminé interrupted. Her voice was still soft and seemed to Kairi that it contained a moved feeling, but at the same time, sounded very determined to stand by her answer. "I couldn't do that."

Kairi's face fell, disappointment washing away all her excitement. "Why not?"

"Don't think I don't appreciate it, because it's very kind of you to offer me to join in." Naminé smiled inside of her. "But this is _your _night-out, Kairi. Everything Sora's got planned for tonight is just for you. He won't want to hear me-"

"Yes he will!" It was Kairi's turn to cut Naminé off. She was very displeased that she believed she wouldn't be welcome to share the fun of her next outing with Sora. "He'd be very happy to hear from you, Naminé."

"But he won't want to when he's in the middle of a night-out he's arranged for you."

"Don't be silly. We've had loads of our friends join us on some of our trips out, and we've loved that. Didn't you get to see Riku working as our faithful servant when Sora and I were king and queen?"

Naminé giggled. "I did."

"Don't worry; I don't think Sora will try to find a way to make _you _do something like that. And even if he does, I won't let him." Kairi giggled as well. "But he'd really happy to hear from you, Naminé..." She paused, a thought creeping over her mind which made the grin on her face soften. "And I bet Roxas would, too."

"Roxas?" Naminé cried in an ecstatic voice. The mention of Sora's Nobody had taken an immediate effect on her. Her ocean blue eyes had widened within Kairi's, euphoria pouring into them over what she was being encouraged to do.

Kairi's grin widened over the way Naminé had shouted out Roxas' name. "You guys haven't spoken to one another since you both merged with me and Sora."

"I know!" All Naminé could joyfully think about was speaking to the boy inside Sora. She had missed him so much since the pair of them had joined with their original selves at The World That Never Was. He had still remained as someone who she cared about so deeply. The thought of getting an opportunity to speak to him again had made her the happiest she'd felt in a long time.

Barely able to believe that she really could go through with this wonderful, dream-like proposition, Naminé decided to question Kairi on the way she had brought it up. "You really think Roxas would be happy ... to hear from me?"

"I know he will," Kairi answered confidently. "I remember the way you guys were happy to see each other before you merged with me and Sora. Roxas would be delighted to hear from you again, Naminé, and the four of us can have a night out together."

The Princess of Heart didn't realize that her cheeks were turning red, as Naminé was blushing inside her. She was grinning widely in high excitement. The offer she'd been given was now something she couldn't turn down. She loved the thought of getting to join in the fun with her friends, even if she had to experience every minute of it within Kairi's body. That would not stop her from getting to speak the Nobody who would be enjoying it from inside Sora.

"So what do you say, Naminé?" Kairi asked hopefully. "Are you and Roxas gonna join in on our night out tonight?"

"Alright." Naminé answered. "But I'm going to let you and Sora enjoy some time by yourselves first before I say anything."

"Okay then. But don't plan on leaving it too late, 'cause I'll be reminding you if you haven't said anything," Kairi giggled.

The doorbell rang.

"Ooh, there's Sora now!" Naminé exclaimed, her elation rising over the boy's arrival just as much as Kairi's was that moment. "It's finally time for your next night-out, Kairi."

"I know!" The fifteen-year old jump up joyfully to her feet. "And this time, you're gonna be joining in, Naminé! You and Roxas!"

Within Kairi's cheeks, Naminé's were still a soft shade of red. She grinned meekly to herself, feeling a little bashful alongside her avid delight of getting to soon hear Roxas' voice again. "Well I'll talk to you later then, Kairi."

"Alright then!" Kairi beamed. "Speak to you soon, Naminé!"

That was it then; there were nothing more to be said from the Nobody for the time being. Silence filled the entire atmosphere of the house for a few seconds, only for it to be struck through by the sound of the doorbell ringing again.

Sending her glowing expression towards the door, Kairi sprinted hurriedly over to it. She hurled it open in all her excitement, then as she had done the night before, she threw herself at the boy who was standing outside on the doorstep, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Hey, best friend."

"Hey, Princess," Sora replied cheerily. He had prepared himself this time to be lunged at as soon as the door would open, and had caught Kairi as she had flown at him. He grinned down softly at the girl in his arms, holding her very securely.

Kairi giggled sweetly from what he had called her, feeling very warm and comfortable in his embrace. She rested her head onto his chest, gazing happily up into the eyes of her hero whilst her own twinkled in the night's atmosphere. "You managed to seek out without getting caught your mom again?"

"Well, I wouldn't be here if I didn't!" Sora stated. There appeared to be pride forming in the widening smile on his face. He seemed to be very getting a little smug over the fact he could slip in and out of his house during the late hours of the night when he was supposed to be in bed.

"Did you enjoy your time out with her then?" Kairi asked curiously, smiling from noticing the pride in his smile.

"Yeah, we had a really nice day. We spent it out together in the countryside." Sora released the girl from his arms and clutched his chest, giving her an expression that made him look ill. "But I think we spent a bit too longer there," he said in a hoarse-sounding voice. "Any longer, and all the flowers and grass would've given me hay fever."

As Sora suddenly turned his body away from Kairi to make what sounded to her like a sneeze, her smile vanished whilst her eyebrows raised with concern. "Are you alright, Sora?"

The moment he spun around to face her again, Sora gave her an enormous bright grin to show her how he was truly feeling. "Of course I am, Kairi! I was just kidding!"

Kairi chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief over his immaturity.

"And even if I did have hay fever," the boy went on, "I wouldn't let that stop me from taking you out tonight."

"Well as long as you'd keep your disgusting germs to yourself," Kairi teased, laughing as she flipped off the light switch on the wall next to her. Darkness filled the room she was standing in within an instant. "Even if you've given me so much lately, Sora, that's something I _don't_ want from you!"

Sora snickered. "Well that's something I'd make sure you wouldn't catch from me, Kairi. But that's not gonna be happening tonight. Are you ready to go then?"

The girl nodded, stepping out of the house to join Sora in the breezy night air. She smiled gratefully at him as he stepped off the doorstep to give her room, then she turned away from him to take hold of the door handle behind her. She sent a loud bang into the empty house as she pulled the door shut, and the only sound to follow was the quieter noise of her key turning in the lock.

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"We're not gonna be doing anything that will wake these people up, are we, Sora?" Kairi giggled, following him with her hand held tightly in his as they approached the fork in the winding path. They passed together under the white glows of the small wooden streetlamps. The great big silhouettes of the nearby houses towered over them, keeping their sleeping residents inside warm and sheltered.

Sora had first taken her along the same route he had guided her along the previous night when they had left the street where they lived. When they had reached the path, however, instead of going in the direction of the playground, he had taken her down to the posh estate on the edge of the island. He was now leading her along where the split path rounded to the left. They followed it as it curved around the slightly higher level of ground, which had the green of its grass completely blackened out. The bleak form of a sycamore tree stood silently on its edge, twice as tall as the house that had been built right next to it, its leaves rustling softly in the light breeze. The sound they made was accompanied by the cascading roars of waves washing up onto the beach ahead. The noise they gave off had no trouble reaching the teenagers, and just listening to them in the quiet of the night had taken a relaxing effect on Kairi.

"We might..." Sora joked, leading her down the right route of the next fork they had come to, bringing her even closer to the vacant, darkened beach. The never-ending melody of the nearby waves was becoming even louder. "It all depends on how far out we go."

"Huh?"

Kairi gave Sora a puzzled look, which had been brought on by what he had just told her. Her confused eyes locked onto him as they made their way towards where the path led out onto the sand on the rear end of the beach. Part of her had begun wondering if that was where they were going to be spending their late night outing - but she had also predicted that Sora's intention was possibly to take her to the smaller island. Now that he had just confirmed he didn't know exactly how far they were going to be journeying, all she could do was gape in bewilderment at him. The trees on their right had blocked off the moon, keeping it from lighting up her expression.

"What d'you mean, Sora?" she asked him. "D'you actually knowwhere we're going?"

"The question is not _'where_' we're going, Kairi..." Sora explained, beaming at her as he led her out through the gap in the fencing in front of them and onto the beach, the sand crunching under their shoes. "It's '_how_' we're going."

Kairi blinked and stared at Sora in her growing bafflement. Everything he was telling her right now - which was obviously clear to him - was unable to make sense to her. She kept her expression fixed to him as she stopped alongside him, failing to take in even the slightest bit of detail of the beach they were stood on.

"Well _how_ are we going then?" she inquired. "On our Gummi Ship?"

"Nuh-uh." Sora shook his head, raised his free hand to point past Kairi and peered to what he had set his eyes on with a grin. "On that."

Feeling her excitement beginning to form back, Kairi shot her gaze towards where Sora was pointing - and her expression changed dramatically by the sight of what was near them.

Lying a few metres away in the very centre of the beach was a row of large logs that had all been sawn in half. Their flat sides were facing upwards with planks of wood nailed into them to hold them together. Standing upright near the front of the smooth surface they formed was a log that had been spared from being divided in half, as it served as a different purpose. It was working instead as a mast, holding two long pieces of wood horizontally by their centres, one near the top end and the other close to the bottom. Though very thin, the lines of wood the mast held were strong. They needed to be to do the task they were carrying out together of holding a large sheet of white fabric. It had been spread out as wide as it could, ready for the wind to blow into it from behind so that it could carry out its function as a sail.

Altogether, the materials had formed a well-constructed device. One which Kairi had no trouble recognising.

It was a raft. Not just any raft; it was the one she, Sora and Riku had assembled together over a year ago. They had put all their effort into building it so that they had a way of travelling across the ocean to seek out other worlds - only to abandon it by going through their chain of adventures.

Above the teenagers in the starlit sky, the full moon was sending its glowing light down towards them. It had lit up not only the beach, but also the ocean. It made the water look very inviting to sail out on with their raft. The reflections of the stars all sparkled magically on its ink blue surface.

With her face brightening up in her delight, Kairi turned to beam at Sora, only to angle her head around again as he trudged away from her, watching him approach the raft. Her heart was hammering rapidly. She was incredibly surprised to discover he had brought back what they had build together when they were fourteen for her. It had taken such an impact on her, she found herself at a loss for words.

"Sora..." she murmured, her shining eyes fixing onto him as he jumped up onto the raft, her mouth struggling to get her words of amazement out. "You ... you..."

"C'mon then, Kairi!" Sora laughed. He leaned onto the mast to prop himself up whilst getting comfortable, sending a wide grin towards the one who was to be his shipmate. "You said before you wanted just the two of us to go out together on this raft! Well that's exactly what we're gonna do tonight!"

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**So there you go! There's Kairi's next surprise! She's gonna be travelling out on the ocean with Sora - as she joked they should do in the first Kingdom Hearts game. I'm sure you can tell that Sora is not joking here. :P**

**But will they actually be alone? Kairi has persuaded Naminé to get herself and Roxas involved in this trip out. So this could actually turn out to be a bit of a double date. XD**

**Find out when the big six-o chapter arrives. :)**


	60. Floating Fun

**Man, this chapter was hard to write! What you are about to read was very tedious to put into words, and I even had to stop midway through to add some more paragraphs to the earlier sections and rewrite some of it. X(**

**I'm so glad it's done now. Hope you enjoy the big six-o chapter.**

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With an enormous, amazed grin plastered across her face and directed at Sora, Kairi shook her head in disbelief.

She was highly astounded by how her hero was continuing to surprise her in the most incredible of ways. Learning his plan for that night was to take her on a ride across the sea onboard the wooden device they had constructed when they were younger had left her in a wordless state of awe. She had jokingly suggested travelling all alone with him on the raft during the evening just before the Heartless had invaded the islands. Having never once given the idea a single thought after that, she was stunned by how Sora had been able to remember it so well - especially after returning from his life-changing journeys. Her eyes glimmered even more as she gazed towards the boy, ecstatic over the fact they really were about to go out together on the raft.

"Well, are you gettin' on then?" Sora chuckled, waiting patiently for her to join him on their creation. "I didn't bring you out here at this time of the night just to look at it!"

Kairi remained where she was for a few more seconds, then charged happily towards where the raft stood with her arms open wide, throwing them around Sora as soon as she had stomped up onto the base of logs to join him. She buried her beaming face into his shoulder, feeling her cheeks doing their usual habit of turning bight pink.

"Sora..." she murmured softly, "...you're so amazing."

Sora gaped down in surprise at Kairi as he embraced her back warmly. He could feel himself beginning to blush as well, his own cheeks burning from the word she had used to describe him. Learning that the girl he loved thought he was amazing left him feeling very astonished as a modest smile spread across his glowing face.

"Aww, Kairi..." he murmured, reaching up to tenderly run his fingers through her hair. "I'm not really amazing."

"Yes you are!" Kairi lifted her head from his shoulder to frown up at the boy, displeased that he didn't believe the fact she had just stated about him. "Don't ever say that about yourself! You've done so many wonderful things for me over the past few days! And here you are now, surprising me yet again!" She shook her head. "How d'you come up with all these things, Sora?"

Sora beamed. "With my intention to do plenty of things that will make my best friend very happy."

As Kairi grinned up at her hero, the colour on her cheeks deepened into a magnificent shade of red. She tightened her arms around him, resting her head cosily on his chest. "Thanks, Sora."

The boy's bright expression softened. His legs were trembling a little from how wonderful his hug with the girl was.

"So, Captain," Kairi giggled, "are we gonna get going?"

"If you're ready!" Sora grinned. He reluctantly released her from his arms, then stepped down from the raft to be standing on the sand. Bending over, he picked up what she hadn't noticed was lying right beside the base of logs; one of the oars from his boat. He held it up for her to see. "There's not much wind tonight, so we won't get out very far without this."

It was only at that moment when Kairi realized something; right beside them on her left was the raft's enormous sail. She peered up at it with a puzzled frown. It was facing towards the back of the beach - which meant the raft was facing _away_ from the sea.

"What's the matter, Kairi?" Sora asked. He was surprised by the new expression on her face and turned to look at what she was sending it to.

"You've got the raft facing the wrong way, Sora" Kairi explained, bringing her attention back to him with a small smile. "We're gonna have to turn it around."

"Nuh-uh." Sora shook his head disagreeably. "If we do that, then we won't be able to see where we're going."

"Huh?" Kairi's smile disappeared as she gazed at the boy in puzzlement from what he'd told her. "How?"

Sora stuck out his thumb, pointing it to the sheet towering over them. "There's a huge design flaw with the raft that we never noticed all that time ago," he chuckled. "The sail's much too big! If we row out with the raft facing the right way, we won't be able to see where we're going with this giant thing in front of us."

"Oh, okay," Kairi giggled, understanding. "So the raft's gonna be taking us out, going _backwards_, is it?"

"Yep. But at least that way, we'll get to see out into the horizon. It wouldn't be much fun for us just to stare at a big white sheet in front of us for the whole ride."

The girl continued to giggle as she sat down on the flat wooden surface. "And you'll also be able to row us back," she added. "Who knows where we'd end up if the wind was taking us out there and we couldn't see where we were going?"

Sora smirked wryly. Kairi seemed to be forgetting that over a year ago, they had intended to allow the wind to take control of the raft with them on it as soon as they had finished building it. It would have carried them - along with Riku - far away from the islands and into the unknown, but destiny had put a stop to that by directing them down different paths. He couldn't let the raft just float freely wherever it wanted whilst he and Kairi were aboard it. With the ocean being just as dangerous as beautiful, it was his responsibility to look after her and return her safely home. He was determined to make sure nothing would happen to her.

All prepared to begin his ride across the sea with the girl, Sora placed the oar down next to where she sat. He jumped down from the base and disappeared around the sail to stand at the end of the base which was facing away from the shore. Squatting down, he lifted it up slightly from underneath. It was a little heavier than it had been that morning, due to Kairi sitting on it, but he knew that it wouldn't be a struggle to slide it swiftly along the sand and into the water.

"D'you need help, Sora?" Kairi asked from the other side of the sail. She was worried that he would have trouble moving the raft by himself - especially with her adding extra weight for him to push.

"It's alright, Kairi," Sora replied, his voice straining. He began to clump forward, heaving the ample raft down in the direction the rapid shore. The rear end of its base ploughed through the sand it was being pushed along, moving increasingly faster with each step he took. He was able to pick up speed as his hands got used to the weight - even though it was digging ruthlessly into his fingers.

Still sitting on the device as it was carried by Sora towards the waves, Kairi grew more concerned. "Are you sure you can manage it, Sora? Do you want me to get off and help you?"

Sora was just about to answer with what strength he could force into his voice - but hesitated when he heard a small splash, which made him stop treading forward. He let go of the base and walked over to the right side of the raft, finding that a small wave was just lapping along the sides of it. It was engulfing the amount of sand it had earlier absorbed, telling him he had reached the shore.

"I don't any help, Kairi, 'cause we're already there," Sora laughed as he flexed his sore fingers. "So don't get off or you'll just get your feet wet."

Kairi giggled, taking a look around at the water as it gushed up on each side of the raft, then she gazed at the boy as he stepped onto the base to join her. The excitement she was feeling was growing larger inside her. She couldn't believe she was just about travel on the sea with the boy she loved.

Sora picked up the oar from where he had left it beside her. "Time to cast off!" he said cheerily.

"Cast off?" Kairi tittered. "Sora, don't you mean row off?"

"_I'm_ Captain of this ship!" Sora declared jokingly. "And if I say we're casting off, then casting off is what we do!"

"Okay, Captain." Kairi laughed softly again as she shook her head at the boy's childish yet humorous behaviour. "Whatever you say."

Sora grinned, pleased to see he was able to make her laugh. He turned away from her to find that the entire base of the raft was now surrounded by water. The waves had crept a little further up onto the shore. As another one sloshed past them, he held the oar downwards in both hands, pressing the edge of the blade against the sand that had been consumed by the rising tide. All he had to do now was get the raft to float, then he would be free to row them away from the island. "You ready, Princess?"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

Pushing down with the oar, Sora slid the raft forward so that it moved slowly off the shore. It began to float on the rough surface of the water. Kairi let off a jubilant cheer from the feeling of their exciting ride being underway at last - only to cry out in surprise as they were lifted up and thrown back by an oncoming wave. The bottom of the base thumped back onto the shore it had just left, but Sora immediately used the oar to get them off again. He was not going to let the approaching tide keep them from getting out onto the sea.

"_Whoa!_" Kairi exclaimed as another wave passed under the raft, causing it to dance unsteadily. A few tiny drops of sea water which had pounded the front end of the base landed on her head. Having only now realized that their ride would have quite a wobbly start, she scrambled over to the mast and held onto it tightly. She didn't want to take her chances of being thrown off and into the water (even when they still hadn't left a very shallow part of it).

"That's it, Kairi!" Sora called to her. He was proceeding to row against the army of waves that were trying to keep them from getting off the main island. "Just hang onto there for a bit! We'll be out of these waves now!"

Whilst clutching onto the log which stood upright, Kairi looked over her shoulder to peer out into the distance. The endless miles of water ahead was a lot calmer in comparison to how it was where they were. The stars shimmered in the sky, all reflected beautifully in the ocean. Kairi was not taking much notice of them, however, for something else had grabbed her attention. Standing out about seven hundred yards in the distance was the smaller island. It had been completely illuminated by the effulgent moonlight. The colours of its trees and cliff sides were projected brightly in the night's atmosphere, not a single one of them missed by Kairi's amazed eyes. She could see from the raft that the island was slightly on her left, which told her Sora was possibly planning to row them alongside it. Whether he intended to dock at its pier for them to get off there or take her further out to sea, she couldn't tell.

"You okay there, Kairi?" Sora asked, smiling down at her as he rowed them out of where the waves were building in the water.

Kairi turned away from the elegant view before her, nodding with a soft grin up at the more elegant-looking boy standing over her. "It's so beautiful," she murmured, letting go of the mast and shifting herself around so that she had her back to it. "You picked a really lovely night for us to do this, Sora."

Sora chuckled. "Well I'd have never thought for us to do this if you hadn't suggested it over a ago."

"I was just kidding, remember?" Kairi laughed. Her memory flashed back to the evening which was obviously on her hero's mind. After he had collected some food and water for their raft journey which had never went ahead, the two of them had spent some time alone together, watching the sunset from the smaller island's pier. She'd been thinking silently to herself about how Riku had changed, which had resulted in Sora asking her if she was okay - and then a new thought had popped into her head. The idea of it had excited her as she had joking suggested it to Sora, giving him a surprise by her sudden teasing behaviour.

_"Sora, let's take the raft and go - just the two of us!"_

_"Huh?"_

_A giggle. "Just kidding."_

Kairi grinned to herself over the memory. She could still remember the look on Sora's face from that moment.

"Well, even if you were just kidding back then, are you still enjoying getting to do this now?"

The girl's face instantly flashed with shock from the question Sora had just innocently asked her. She couldn't believe he was questioning her on whether she was enjoying riding on the raft, all alone with him. She gaped up at him, her eyes wide and stunned.

"Of course I am!" she cried. "How could I not love this? This is absolutely amazing, Sora - just all the other things you've been doing for me have been!"

Sora grinned and placed the oar down flat on the wooden surface, then stepped over to where Kairi was on her knees. The raft was drifting smoothly across the calm surface, leaving the main island further behind and drawing closer to the smaller one. Sitting comfortably at Kairi's side, Sora slide his arm slowly over her shoulders. "I'm glad I decided to make us go ahead with this, then," he said, "even if you were just kidding."

"Me too," Kairi said softly. With a contented smile, she snuggled happily against the captain. "And I really appreciate you doing this for me, Sora. I'm not kidding about that."

"I know you're not," Sora whispered. He pulled the girl slightly closer to him as a cold breeze blew at them and across the sea. As he turned away from her, his eyes widened when he saw they were already only a few yards away from the smaller island. It stood nearby on their left, looking as beauteous and colourful in the moonlight as it always did on a sunny day. Sora gazed at it in amazement as the raft continued to drift ahead, aiming to carry him and his shipmate past it.

Kairi had noticed it, too. As she observed the trees tilting slightly in the breeze, as well as the broken wooden bridge and tower that had been built there long ago, her thoughts of whether they were going to stop there returned. "Are we getting off here, Sora?" she asked.

"Nope." Sora shook his head and turned back to her with an enormous broad grin on his face. "I'm taking you much further than this!"

Removing his arm from her shoulders, he picked up the oar and got back to his feet. Kairi watched him excitedly as he stepped over to the spot where he had been standing earlier, beginning to row forward again. The raft picked up speed as it glided on through the water. It started to flow alongside the island, which loomed immensely over the teenagers on their left. The watch tower and broken bridge disappeared from view as they were carried away from them, but there were still the trees and plants shrouding the top of the land to look at. Their turquoise and green leaves hung motionlessly from their stems, giving the island a mysterious-looking appearance in the darkened atmosphere.

"This is kinda one of those safari cruise rides," Sora commented.

Kairi watched the enigmatic shapes of the trees as the raft carried her slowly past them, then turned to look out ahead as something caught her eye. She saw it was the brown of the tall fencing which held up the wooden footway that had been constructed above the sea. Standing on its end was the circular tower that had been built with the same wood, an enormous cloud of greenery atop of it. As they neared it, the cascading sound of waves and waterfalls reached Kairi's ears. It made her felicity rise, as she was about to see the side of the island she and her friends spent most of their time on.

With the raft still under his control, Sora rowed it outwards so that it would flow on through the water without hitting the fencing and tower. The moment it drifted past the lofty structures, he lifted up the oar and glanced to his left before gazing down to Kairi, smiling when he saw her bright face. She was already taking in the pier where they tied off their boats. Sora dropped the blade onto the surface, sitting down and shifting forward so she could see past him better. He watched as more of the land crept into view. There was the small shape of the miniature island, a good few feet away from them. Then came the bridge which led out onto it, and within a few seconds, Sora could see the sand which stretched from the shore to the raised level of ground at the back. His eyes ran over the Seaside Shack and waterfalls - and even managed to pick out the spot in the darkness where the entrance to the Secret Place was. Although he had seen the island at night many times from his boat, it felt very different to look at it from the raft he had built with his friends.

"Wow..." Kairi sighed in admiration. "It looks so beautiful tonight..."

As the raft ambled on and began to carry them away from the nearby land, Sora frowned. Hearing how dazzled Kairi was over the sight of the smaller island made him wonder if she wanted them to have their night out there. Although his plan had been to take her far out onto the ocean and back, he was more than willing to abandon it if she had something else in mind that would make her happier. He would certain he would enjoy an unexpected visit to the island, for he would still be accompanying the girl he loved.

"Kairi," he murmured, turning around without getting up to look curiously over at the awed girl, "d'you want us to stop and get off here? 'Cause we can do that if you want."

The question she had just been asked diverted Kairi's attention away from the island, making her turn to the person it had come from. She gave him a slightly surprised look before shaking her head. "No, it's okay, Sora. I was just saying how nice it looks."

"But we can stop here if you want to. Y'know, if you'd rather spend our night out here instead of going out to sea, all you have to do is say."

"No way! I'd much rather go out to sea, 'cause that was your surprise for me tonight!" Kairi grinned. "Besides we've spend time on that island nearly our whole lives! We've never gone out on this raft before, after all the trouble we went through building it!"

Sora smiled broadly. He was delighted Kairi was enjoying their first ride on their one-year old creation. He turned away from her to take a last quick look towards the smaller island - only to find it was difficult to see most of it, due to the size of the raft's sail. Tilting his body, he gazed past the colossal sheet, watching the land seem to grow smaller as they left it behind. Then he shifted around and backed up to be sitting beside Kairi again, gazing out into the horizon where the starry sky seemed to meet the glistening ocean.

"Off we go now into the unknown!" Kairi declared jokingly, stretching an arm with a fisted hand out up towards the heavens. "Which was exactly what we were gonna do with this raft over a year ago!"

"Yep! And to think the invasion of the Heartless happened the night before we were gonna leave!" Sora laughed. "It's pretty much Riku's fault, really, 'cause he was the one who opened the Keyhole in the Secret Place and let them in!"

"But..." Kairi gave Sora a wide-eyed look of bewilderment. She was taken aback to hear him lay the blame for the incident that had occurred on the islands over a year ago on Riku. "But if that hadn't happened, Sora, you wouldn't have met Donald and Goofy! And then you wouldn't have saved the other worlds-"

"I know! I'm just kidding!" Sora turned to Kairi with a light chuckle over her reaction. "I have no regrets in going out to the other worlds to bring peace to them all." His face suddenly fell, his eyes filling with seriousness and misery whilst remaining fixed to her. "But I wish I could have done it without Riku getting possessed by Ansem ... or you losing your heart and going missing."

Kairi smiled sympathetically at her hero, moved by the care he was expressing about her and Riku, as well as his dislike of the thought of them being in danger. "I was never missing, Sora," she murmured, lifting a hand to place it gently onto his heart. "I was here with you, all the time. Remember?"

Sora blushed as he looked down where Kairi's hand was. He could his heart beating softly against it. What she had just sweetly told him made him instantly remember how her heart had disappeared into his body during the night the Heartless had attacked the islands. Although he would have preferred it to have stayed in her own body instead, he couldn't help smiling at the memory. It was true that she had been with him for every step of his journey - at least up until he'd restored her heart, and had shortly afterwards left her behind on the islands to be without him for a whole year.

He lifted his head to smile warmly at Kairi, nodding slowly. "I remember."

Kairi grinned and removed her hand from his heart to grasp his free one tightly. "And don't worry about that now, Sora. You rescued me and Riku and saved all the worlds. It's all over now. No more Heartless, no more danger..."

"You're right," Sora agreed. "It's just you and me right now. Just the two of us."

The happiness inside Kairi rose dramatically. Her sparkling grin widened across her face as she blushed. Sora's words about them being alone together made him sound as romantic as she always found him to be - but they also reminded her of the plan she had made back at her house to involve a certain pair of Nobodies on the night out.

"Ah, but you're wrong there, Sora," she giggled. "It's not just you and me."

"Huh?" Sora exclaimed, his smile being wiped away by what Kairi had just said, which had put him in instant puzzlement. "What d'you mean?"

"We've got some company with us!"

The boy frowned, completely confused as to what she was talking about. They had just left behind the main island, where everyone they knew who lived there was sound asleep in their houses. They were the only ones out at sea, so it was impossible for them to have any company that night.

At least that was what he believed.

Knowing better than him (and humoured by his reaction), Kairi swallowed, bracing herself to speak to the soul inside her who Sora had no way of seeing. "Isn't that right ... Naminé?"

_"Namin__é?" _Sora repeated in a raised, astounded tone. He was highly surprised to learn that she was referring to her Nobody.

As Kairi just grinned at him, Naminé's voice suddenly escaped from her body, sounding very shy and nervous as she stuttered a greeting to the boy. "H-hello ... S-Sora."

Sora smiled. He was able to vaguely recognise the voice, despite having only one memory of the concealed girl who was speaking to him. Though he was confused as to why he was hearing from her, he made sure to keep it out of his tone. "Hey, Naminé."

"I asked her up at my house to join in on this one!" Kairi explained joyfully. "Isn't that awesome, Sora?"

From inside her, Naminé was watching Sora closely. She was trying to work out through his body language how he truly felt Kairi's idea, especially when he had been enjoying his time alone with her. He was turning away from them to look out into the distance ahead - but that was not enough to make Naminé fail to notice that his smile had become crooked. It made her immediately assume in disappointment that he was not happy to hear from her. She felt herself filling with sadness as she gazed silently at Sora, afraid she'd ruined the night out he'd undoubtedly been looking forward to.

Sora said nothing, but took his hand out of Kairi's to press it against his forehead. His mind was whirring like a spinning top. The raft continued to soundlessly drift forward, carrying them across the water at its own pace.

"Sora?" Kairi exclaimed, surprised from how quiet he had suddenly become, as she'd been expecting him to be pleased to hear from Naminé. To merely smile and utter no more than two words to someone he hadn't seen or heard from in a long time before turning away was not like Sora at all.

As if he was picking up what Kairi was thinking (though it was really the way she'd said his name that had alerted him), Sora jerked his head up in alarm, realizing how his behaviour would surely impact both girls. "I'm sorry!" he cried, turning to face the only one he could see. "I didn't mean to be so unfriendly! It's just-"

"No, it's okay, Sora." Naminé's voice now sounded like it was full of shame as she spoke to the boy again from inside Kairi. "I'm the one who's sorry. I've just ruined your lovely night out with-"

"No! No you haven't, Naminé!" Kairi cried, shaking her head rapidly. Struck with horror from hearing her friend accuse herself of destroying Sora's enjoyment, she faced the boy with all her alarm. She was desperate for him to assure Naminé she had done no such thing. "She hasn't, has she, Sora?"

"No way!" Sora shook his head as well. "You haven't ruined anything, Naminé. It's just-"

"I have," Naminé interrupted sadly. "I know I have. You don't have to pretend you want me here, Sora."

"No, Naminé! I swear, it isn't that at all!" Sora affirmed. His tone had risen with his guilt over what he had led her to believe. "It's not that I don't want you here! It's just that..."

His voice trailed off, the thoughts he had just been mulling over dominating his mind again. He turned away from Kairi and returned his hand to his forehead, not noticing the bewildered look she was giving him. What she couldn't tell was that inside of her, Naminé was also watching Sora with a puzzled expression of her own. Both girls were wondering what was going through the boy's head, which had only formed there when the Nobody had spoken to him. They wished he would tell them, as he had just been trying to.

All three of them were silent. The rubbing of Sora's hand on his forehead filled the night air. It was very clear for them to hear in the quiet atmosphere away from the islands

"No offense, Naminé..." Sora said at last, turning back to Kairi so that Naminé could see his face, which was scrunched into a confused frown. "But ... I don't really know you."

"Oh?" Kairi exclaimed, astonished by what Sora had just stated, which she had not been aware of.

"Oh..." Naminé echoed quietly. She was also a little surprised by the reason Sora had given for the way he had reacted to hearing from her - but it wasn't as bad as what she'd thought. It wasn't anything that didn't make sense to her, either. Though Sora was clearly unable to remember much about her, she could distinctly remember everything that had happened during their first meeting, including why he had no memories of it. It was rather ironic to her; when they had first met, he had believed she was someone he had known his whole life who mattered to him more than anything. Now he seemed to barely know who she was. The false memories about her which he'd once had had been replaced by his real ones - all of which involving the person he truly cared about the most, who was riding with them on the raft.

Naminé tried to keep her voice free of the disappointment she was feeling as she spoke to the boy again. "It's okay, Sora," she smiled softly. "I should have known that you wouldn't remember me."

"But - but, Sora, don't you remember?" Kairi asked, baffled. "She helped us in The World That Never Was! She helped me to find you and opened the path for us to return home, then she merged with me! Don't you remember, Sora? You saw that! It was just before Ro-"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember all that," Sora interrupted with a small nod. Playing through his scrambled mind was the moment when he, Kairi and Riku had seen Naminé shortly before returning to Destiny Islands. She had said some strange things which hadn't made any sense to him, for he had no memory of meeting her before then. What had been even stranger was when she had taken Kairi's hand - and suddenly disappeared into her body.

Unable to recall anything of the mysterious girl prior to those extraordinary events had all happened at once, Sora was now just as confused as he'd been when he'd last seen her. "But ... I'm really sorry, Naminé..." he apologised to her, still facing Kairi, "I honestly can't remember anything about you before then."

"Oh..." Kairi said for a second time. A light had just flicked on inside her head from learning Sora truly couldn't remember meeting Naminé before the event she had brought up. It had led her to wonder if perhaps he hadn't. Although the Nobody had helped her to be reunited with him, it was not impossible that she'd been willing to do so without ever coming upon him before.

Inside of her, Naminé was silent. She knew perfectly well that Sora had met her long before seeing her merge with Kairi, as well as why he couldn't remember anything about their first meeting.

"I mean, we never met before then," Sora said, feeling certain he was correct. "Right?"

"Actually..." Naminé answered, her voice now brighter from the chance she was being given to set him right. "We _did _meet before then, Sora."

"Huh?" Sora's frown deepened, his head filling with even more confusion. Naminé was telling him things which made no sense again - as she had done during the one meeting with her which he could remember. "When?"

"Yeah, when, Naminé?" Kairi asked curiously. She was interested to learn the story of her Nobody's first encounter with the love of her life - and it was clear she wasn't going to get any of it out of him.

So Naminé spent the next few minutes of the raft ride telling them about the events in Castle Oblivion which had been erased from Sora's memory. She began with how she had been held captive by Organization XIII, and how when Sora had found out she was in trouble shortly after his arrival with Donald, Goofy and Jiminy Cricket, he'd made it his goal to rescue her. She filled them in on how he had bravely battled against a few members of the Organization - and even with a humanoid replica of Riku. Kairi was shocked to learn Sora had clashed with an impersonator of their friend. She could not understand how it was possible for him to forget such an unbelievable event.

All through listening to the tale, Sora was beside himself with huge bafflement. He couldn't remember _anything _Naminé was claiming he had dealt with when saving her. Cards with special abilities? Organization XIII members with names like Marluxia, Laraxene and Vexen? Their scheme to use _him _to help them take over the Organization? A replica of Riku who had believed he was the real one at first, and had decided to help them after fighting with him numerous times? It all sounded incredible bizarre for the most part to Sora, making it even more arduous to believe he had really been involved in all of it.

What Naminé avoided telling them was how she had been forced to use her magic powers to rearrange the chains of Sora's memories, replacing every one he had about Kairi with false memories of herself that she had created. Although he'd found it in his heart to forgive her after she'd confessed her terrible action to him at the castle, she couldn't be sure he'd excuse her a second time. Not only that, but she didn't think Kairi (who'd never known about her doing, despite also having been affected by it) would take it well. She would most likely be angry to learn Sora's memory had been interfered with so that he wouldn't remember her - and Naminé didn't want to ruin their night out by upsetting her.

By the time she concluded her incomplete story, Kairi was left in a state of shock. She was repeating everything she'd just learnt about inside her head, finding it ridiculous how Sora had completely forgotten being involved in such events. She gaped up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Sora," she exclaimed, "how come you can't remember _any_ of that?"

"I ... I just can't, Kairi!" Sora turned away from her and rubbed his forehead again, frowning deeply over Naminé's tale of how he'd met her, which he had absolutely no memory of. "I honestly can't remember any of that ... even if it did happen."

"Well, even if you can't remember it, Sora, I want to thank you for saving me."

Sora froze for a moment, then turned to Kairi to send the smile that had just spread across his face to the person who had just thanked him. Even though he had no memory of Naminé's story, she seemed to him like a very sweet girl, and he was pleased he'd liberated her from such cruel captors. "It's okay, Naminé. I'm really sorry I can't remember any of it."

"It's okay," Naminé smiled.

"I bet _I _would've saved you, too, if I'd been there! And I would remember!"

The three friends shared an astonished gasp. A familiar voice had just suddenly spoken to Naminé, but the person whom it belonged to wasn't in sight. It took them no time, however, to realize that it had come from Sora. The girls were just as surprised as he was. Although they'd been hoping to hear the voice that night, they had thought they would first have to address the soul inside the sixteen-year old.

Sora pressed his hand to his forehead yet again, astounded to hear from his Nobody. "Roxas?"

"Hey, guys." Roxas' voice was full of cheeriness as it escaped from Sora's body and into the night air. No one could see he was sending a wide grin in Kairi's direction, which was actually for the girl inside of her. "Hey, Naminé."

"Roxas!" Naminé cried, feeling elevated to be spoken to by the boy she had badly missed.

"Hi, Roxas," Kairi greeted him with a soft smile.

"Hope you don't mind me speaking here, Sora," Roxas said to his original persona. "Especially since this is yours and Kairi's night out."

"Actually, Roxas," Naminé said, "we were going to try to get you to speak to us anyway." She paused, feeling a little nervous over explaining in front of Sora the plans for the night out which he hadn't made or known about. "It was so that you could join in on this, in a way."

"Really?" The dirty blond-haired Nobody was surprised by what he had heard - just as much as the boy he was residing inside was. "You guys never said anything about wanting to get me involved."

"Kairi and I decided up at her house. We would've said something to get you to speak if you hadn't spoken just now."

"Oh." Roxas gave a chuckle. "Then I guess I've made my grand entrance ... in a way."

Kairi was anxiously watching Sora. The expression he was giving was making her worried over how he possibly felt about the plans she'd made herself for the night out. She waited for him to say or do something, her body tensing up in her worry.

Seeing how edgy Kairi had become, Sora gave her a wide grin. He was perfectly happy to have some company on their night out if that was what she wanted. "Well, great thinking, girls!" he praised her and Naminé. "Now we've got more shipmates to share the fun with!"

"You don't mind me and Roxas joining in on your night out, Sora?" Naminé asked hopefully.

"No! Of course I don't!" Sora shook his head, pleased to see that a wide grin was finding its way onto Kairi's face. "I'm perfectly fine with that, guys. More fun for us."

"Thanks, Sora!" Roxas said. He was happy to be welcome to speak whilst Sora and Kairi were enjoying themselves. Getting a chance to talk to the other Nobody with them was what made him even happier still. Although secretly a little upset that he couldn't see her, he was grateful to be able to hear her sweet voice again. "I've really missed you, Naminé."

An amazed expression which no one could see sprung across Naminé's face. She was very surprised to be told by the boy she'd been silently yearning for had been thinking about her as well. "You have, Roxas?"

"Uh-huh."

As she took in this touching piece of news, Naminé grinned and blushed (not realizing she was changing the colour of Kairi's cheeks, also). "I've missed you, too," she murmured.

Roxas smiled, wishing he and Naminé could leave their original personas' bodies so that he would be able to give her a hug.

"Have you guys known each other for long then?" Kairi asked curiously, hoping they would explain how they had come into each other's lives.

"A fair while now," Roxas answered.

"How did you two meet, then?" It was Sora who had asked the next question, revealing to Kairi he was interested to learn the same story as she was.

No words came from the Nobodies. Naminé's hidden grin had disappeared, as she was unsure of whether to say anything about her earliest meetings with Roxas. She could remember how they had greatly effected him, and she was doubtful that he would be happy to talk about them. She remained quiet inside of Kairi, waiting uneasily to find out if the boy would give anything away himself.

Roxas' mood had also changed. The tale Sora wanted them to tell was not as happy as he would have liked it to have been. Despite being very thankful to have met Naminé, his earliest encounters with her had led to his life being changed forever - revealing itself to have been a lie. He'd been fooled into thinking he was a normal boy who lived a normal life in Twilight Town. His days were often kept busy with schoolwork and spending most of his time with what he'd believed were Hayner, Pence and Olette. It was not until he had met the beautiful blonde-haired girl when he finally learned the reality that he was only a Nobody; half of Sora. He could still remember some terrible words she had told him with regret at the Old Mansion. Just thinking back on them made him feel agonized, as he knew now they were completely true.

_"You were never supposed to exist, Roxas."_

That wasn't all he'd found out about his life; he'd also learnt the world he'd been living in was actually a digital replica of the _real _Twilight Town. This told him that everything around him - including the three teenagers who he'd thought were his friends - was nothing more than data that had been put together just to deceive him. Roxas was consumed with sadness. It still tortured him how his life had been entirely full of falsehood, even if he had been fortunate to meet someone as real as she was sweet. He'd also suffered a little when seeing the real Hayner, Pence and Olette from inside Sora during his recent visit to the actual Twilight Town, as well as during his birthday party. They still seemed to be completely unaware he even existed - just as they had been when Sora had first met them.

"Roxas?" Kairi exclaimed, gazing towards Sora in concern over how silent his Nobody had suddenly become. "Are you alright?"

"Hm?" Roxas was snapped out of his painful thoughts by Kairi's voice, realizing he'd been completely wordless for far too long after Sora had asked his question. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, thanks," he lied. "I was just thinking back on when me and Naminé met."

"You sure you're alright?" Sora asked. He was also worried about Roxas and wondering what was going through his mind to make him so quiet.

"Yeah. I'm okay, thanks. Anyway, me and Naminé met when we bumped into each other one day on my home world."

"What world was that?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, a world a really long way away from here," Roxas said dully. He wasn't going to say Twilight Town, since the world which had been his home hadn't been the real one. _It was all a lie, _he thought bitterly.

"So what happened when you two met, then?" Sora questioned. His concern over Roxas was rising, due to how little he was giving away.

Roxas went quiet again, taking a moment to think of how meeting Naminé had affected him positively, a small smile creeping onto his face. "I'll tell you what happened, Sora," he said, beginning to cheer up. "I met someone really special; someone so sweet and amazing who really cared about me."

Naminé's eyes widened, her cheeks going bright red from the words Roxas was using to describe her.

"I'm really grateful to have met her," Roxas went on. "She was one of the few people I met in my life ... who really did like me."

"Huh?" Kairi stared at Sora in surprise over the last thing Roxas had said. It made her wonder if he had suffered a dismal and tormenting past.

Roxas paid no attention to the expression he'd brought to her face. He was still thinking brightly to himself how fortunate he was to have met and befriended a caring, beautiful Nobody. "I really mean that, Naminé. I really am thankful I met you. I lived with so many ... people in my world, but you were the only one out there who had any thought for me."

Naminé smiled. She knew most of what Roxas was saying was just based on the fact she had been a real, living soul who he'd met in his home world full of lifeless computer data. She wanted to remind him that Axel had been someone else who had truly liked him - but she didn't think Kairi would be pleased to hear her speak positively of the Nobody who had kidnapped her.

"You're so sweet, Roxas," she said. "I'm really glad I met you, too."

Moved by what she'd said about meeting him, as well as how she'd pleasantly described him, Roxas beamed. He was too wrapped up in his emotions to notice the knowing grin on Kairi's face which she was exchanging with Sora.

"I..." he stammered, "...really miss you."

Naminé's expression instantly changed (as did Sora's and Kairi's). Confusion quickly began to flow into her hidden face, brought on by what Roxas had just struggled to tell her. His voice had been a lot softer - and had also sounded as if it was on the verge of cracking. Naminé was worried about him. She hoped he wasn't going to end up in tears.

"What do you mean you miss me, Roxas?" she asked. "I'm right here, talking to you-"

"No, I mean ... I miss being able to _see _you."

"Oh," the blonde-haired girl replied sadly, now understanding what Roxas meant. In her delight over hearing his voice for the first time in a while, she had forgotten they couldn't see one another. They had no way of ever being able to, as they were each sealed into the body of their own original persona for eternity. Being reminded of this had brought Naminé's mood down to an extremely low level. Her mind contained an agonizing image of the face of the boy she had fallen in love with. Even without a heart, it hurt her to know she would never get to see him again.

She wasn't the only one whose happiness had been plunged to misery; Sora and Kairi's once bright faces had fallen with dispiritedness and sympathy towards the two Nobodies. They could tell they'd probably been very close when they'd been able to live their lives independently. The pair of Somebodies traded expressions. They were both feeling guilty about keeping Roxas and Naminé restrained inside their bodies, which was what effectively prevented them from being able to see one another.

"I really miss you, too, Roxas," Naminé murmured in a quiet, desolated voice.

"I wish I could see you," Roxas went on sorrowfully. "I wish I could do nice things for you. I wish I could take you to nice places, like Sora has been doing for Kairi. I wish..."

As Roxas' voice trailed off, what happened next took the others by surprise.

A small tear suddenly leaked out of Sora's eye. It ran speedily down his cheek, leaving behind a wet trail and a stumped expression on his face. As he wiped it away, wondering how it had just escaped from him by itself, Kairi gaped at him in high alarm which she was sharing with Naminé.

"Sora!" she gasped, her tone loud and filled with horror over seeing him cry. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." Sora shot a confused frown at the hand he had used to dry away the tear. "I dunno why that just happened."

"I'm sorry, Sora," came the low, cheerless voice of his Nobody, followed by a sniffle. "That was me."

"Roxas?" Naminé exclaimed in dismay. "_You're _crying?"

As he gloomily took in the sad look that Kairi was shooting towards him and his Somebody, Roxas felt his mood sink even lower. He was certain Sora would also be wearing a similar expression, as his behaviour was bound to be affecting them. They'd come out that night to enjoy themselves, and he was surely spoiling it for them with his emotions.

"I'm sorry, guys," he apologised shamefully. "I'm ruining your night out."

"No you aren't," Sora assured, shaking his head with a deeper frown.

"I am."

"No, no you aren't, Roxas," Kairi put in. It was the second time that night she and Sora were having to convince a Nobody who was talking to them that they weren't damaging their fun. She was upset that Roxas was so unhappy and felt very sorry for him for what he was going though.

Roxas continued to gaze with growing remorse at Kairi, feeling afraid he'd made her believe he bared ill will towards her. "I'm sorry if I've upset you at all, Kairi," he said. "I'm not feeling mad towards you at all-"

"No, it's okay, Roxas." The fifteen-year old understood perfectly how being unable to see the girl inside her was terribly affecting Roxas. She knew she would be devastated if Sora was stuck inside the body of another person, leaving her with no way of ever getting to see him again.

The dirty blond-haired boy went quiet for a moment. He took a deep breath to keep any more of his emotions from escaping - as well as to prepare to ask Sora to do something for him.

"Sora," he said, "could you do me a favour, please?"

"Of course!" Sora answered immediately. He was eager to do something for Roxas if it would make him feel better. "What is it?"

"Could you give Kairi a hug?"

The faces of the two teenagers flashed with surprise. They hadn't expected Roxas to want Sora to do something for Kairi which they both loved sharing with one another.

"Umm ... sure, Roxas," Sora stammered. "But - just outta curiosity, why d'you want me to do that?"

No one could see that Roxas was now smiling. "So I can give Naminé a hug!"

"Aww!" Kairi's expression brightened instantly. A wide grin spread across her face from learning Roxas' sweet reason for needing Sora to embrace her.

"Aww, Roxas!" Naminé cried, her mood quickly rising back into delight that the love of her life had brought on by revealing he wanted to hold her.

"I'd hug you myself, Naminé," Roxas told her, "if I could just come out of Sora's body. But I can't do that and I need his help-"

"Then say no more, Roxas," Sora interrupted. He was more than happy to carry out his Nobody's request. With his face glowing, he learned towards the girl sat next to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Kairi blushed and sent her grin up to the boy who was embracing her, placing her hands gently onto his arms to rub them. "Should I hug him back, Naminé?"

"Please, Kairi. I want to be hugging Roxas."

Needing no further encouragement, Kairi lifted her own arms to slide them around Sora. Her cheeks were now bright red since she was relishing her wonderful hug with him, despite it not being for the two of them. She held onto him tightly and gave a light pat on his back, wondering what the two souls inside them were making of their warm situation.

"You enjoying this, guys?" she asked after a moment.

"Yes," Naminé answered contentedly. "This is so lovely..."

"Roxas?"

"Yeah ... I'm enjoying this a lot."

With all the distress he had just been feeling gone, Roxas was now the happiest he had ever felt in his entire life. Even being inside Sora's body, he could feel the warmth of Kairi's arms around them both. Moreover, with his own arms under complete control of the ones they resided inside - which were his those of his original persona - he was holding not only the red-haired girl, but also the blonde-haired one inside her. Roxas could feel his elation growing rapidly inside him. He was certain no other Nobody had ever been able to experience the emotion he was going through now. Though he could not see Naminé, he was able to feel the magic of sharing a wonderful hug with her. He smiled joyfully as his eyes strained in an effort to picture her where Kairi was. He had no idea she was imagining being able to see him as well, nor did he realize she was feeling exactly as euphoric as he was.

"Thanks, you guys," he murmured gratefully to Sora and Kairi.

The two Somebodies continued to hold onto one another in silence. They could feel their hearts fluttering over the hug which they were cherishing on the same level as their Nobodies. Kairi was still grinning joyfully over being in Sora's arms when a tear suddenly fell out of her eye. It led to her sparkling smile disappearing as her face filled with surprise. She removed an arm from her hero to quickly wipe it from her cheek (wondering a little if it had come from Naminé).

Feeling concerned, Kairi was just about to ask the girl inside her if something was wrong when Sora began to pull away. She immediately forced her grin back on so that he wouldn't assume she hadn't been smiling whilst hugging him or be led to believe she wasn't feeling alright. Her lifted expression met his glowing one, and she wondered if there was a similar behind it on Roxas' face.

"That was nice," Sora said, "wasn't it?"

"Yes ... that was amazing..." Naminé sighed. Kairi was relived to hear there was blessedness in her softened voice. It made her feel assured the tear she'd shed had just been one of happiness. "Thanks for doing that for us."

Sora nodded in acceptance of Naminé's thanks, then turned away from Kairi to gaze out ahead. The large smile on his face vanished in astonishment, making the fifteen-year old immediately look with puzzlement in the same direction. As soon as she realized why he appeared a little stunned, she felt the same herself.

They had lost complete concentration of travelling on the raft whilst they had been communicating with their Nobodies. Only now did they realize that the current of the ocean had decided to drift them device in the opposite direction they had been going - which meant they were being carried back towards the islands.

"I'd better go back to rowing," Sora announced. He picked up the oar from where he had left it on the wooden surface, then lifted himself up to his feet. Treading over to the left edge of the raft, he peered past the enormous sail so that he could look out for the smaller island in the distance behind them. There it was; a tiny shape over a thousand feet away from where they were, easy to see in the luminous light given off by the glowing moon above them. The raft was floating extremely slowly towards it. It was trying to return them home, but Sora knew it would probably take hours to carry them back under the power of the ocean's current.

"We'll have to make our way back very soon," he said regretfully, starting to row forward again.

"Aww!" Kairi exclaimed disappointedly. Her face had fallen as she gazed heavily up at the boy, not wanting their fantastic night out to end so soon. "But we haven't been out that long!"

"I know. I'm really sorry, Kairi. But we can't go out much further, or we might end up getting lost. And you know what Mom would be like if she finds I'm not in bed tomorrow."

A soft giggle escaped the girl, bringing a smile back to her face from learning Sora's reason for needing to return shortly to the main island. "Okay."

Relaxed to see Kairi was not annoyed or upset with him, Sora turned away from her and proceeded to row the raft out towards the horizon. His view disappeared into the darkness far out ahead, which just seemed to go on forever and ever. "Hey, Roxas," he said. "D'you think you can help me with this rowing?"

"I can't do anything," Roxas sniggered. "I just move my arms with yours, Sora. I can't give you more strength. And even if I wasn't stuck in your body, I still wouldn't help you."

"Why not?"

"You insisted you're the captain of this ship! It's the captain's job to drive it himself!"

Whilst Sora was pulling a face over Roxas' telling him how unwilling he was to help him, Kairi was gazing in amazement at the stars above them again. They were still adorning the sky, little silver dots that each created a powerful light they were combining with one another to shower the world that had been engulfed in the dark.

"Isn't it beautiful, Naminé?" she sighed admiringly.

"Very beautiful." Naminé was just as entranced by the astral sky as the fifteen-year old was. She had been awed by it as far back as when the raft had begun carrying them away from the main island, but it was only now that Kairi wanted to hear her opinion that she was passing it on. "You're so lucky to live in such a beautiful world."

"Huh?" Kairi blinked in a bit of surprise over Naminé's comment about her life, unable to see how it didn't also apply to her. "What d'you mean?" she asked, a grin creeping up on her face. "You live here, too."

Naminé was the next to blink. Her hidden face scrunched with confusion over what her Somebody had just said. This wasn't her home. Why did she say she lived here? She had in Castle Oblivion, and now - wait! She was wrong. Kairi was right. She _did _live here! How did she not realize it?

The blonde-haired girl's expression was now glowing in delight. This wonderful world which she used to dream of being able to live in was Kairi's home. Now that her life was to go on inside the Princess of Heart's body, anywhere she was destined to grow up would be her home, too. Naminé glowed happily. Her life-long wish to live on Destiny Islands had come true at last - and it had taken her over three weeks to realize. Even though they could not see her, she was finally residing with Sora, Kairi and Riku; the three teenagers she'd often drawn herself with. What added the icing to the cake was the fact that as Roxas was fixed inside the body of Sora, her new home was his home, too.

"This is where you live now, Naminé," Kairi went on.

"Yes," Naminé smiled, cherishing the lovely feeling of being under a beautiful starlit sky instead of being surrounded by the white walls of Castle Oblivion. "I suppose it is."

Kairi grinned widely, then turned towards Sora upon hearing his feet clumping along the wooden surface. He was making his way back over to her, having just rowed with his oar enough to keep the raft moving ahead by itself again. Placing the blade back down beside him, he sat down in the same spot next to her, a soft gaze on his face.

"So we're going a little further then, Captain?" Kairi giggled.

"A little bit. And then we'll have to start making our way back." Sora's face fell with worry over the possibility that he was letting her down. "Is that alright, Kairi?"

With her face remaining bright, the young princess nodded before leaning sideways towards Sora to rest her head onto his shoulder. "Thanks for yet another wonderful trip out," she said gratefully as she closed her eyes. "I'm having a really wonderful time with you."

The sixteen-year old's face had gone bright red from having Kairi relax on him. All his worry disappeared to be replaced with happiness which was expressed in his face. He placed his arm around her shoulders, making sure to keep her comfortable and hold her close. It was worth losing sleep to be out here with her, making her very happy. Bringing joy to her with all the surprises he had arranged for her over the ongoing fortnight filled his heart with warmth.

As the raft continued to float slowly along the quiet sea, Sora tightened his arm around Kairi. He was enjoying having it on her shoulders.

Inside him, Roxas was equally enjoying having his own arm on Naminé's shoulders.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait of this chapter, and I'm sorry for the long length, too. This chapter is a bit different from the others, so far. It's a mix of both SoKai and RokuNami, and it contains tons of references to Kingdom Hearts I, II and Re:Chain of Memories (all in chronological order, notably). There's also a bit of happiness and sadness here, given Roxas and Naminé's fates at the end of Kingdom Hearts II. I actually wish they hadn't merged with Sora and Kairi - because then this chapter would have been so much easier to write. :P Although if they hadn't merged with them, I think I'd be using them a lot differently altogether in this story. **

**Keep your eyes open for the next chapter, which I hope won't be as long as this one. And I'd say we're about seven chapters away from the end now, so make sure not to miss them.**


	61. Happiness Destroyer

**Phew! This chapter was quite a difficult one to write! Hope you guys are still out there, reading this. If so, thanks. :)**

* * *

Although he was still rowing the raft towards the main island, Sora knew there would hardly be much point in continuing to do so.

There it was looming in front of them, about fifty yards away. They were just beginning to be pushed towards it by the waves building in the water. Sora had turned the raft around with the use of his oar whilst they were still out at sea, allowing himself to see where he was going whilst carrying out his task of returning to the island. As he felt the oncoming tide pound against the device's wooden base from behind to push them further, he looked down towards where Kairi was sitting. He could see she was gazing towards the sleeping land before them, her angelic face still glowing in happiness. Sora grinned softly. He was pleased that although their fantastic night out was unfortunately coming to an end, Kairi's cheeriness was not.

The fifteen-year old turned away from the their destination, beaming up at her hero when she saw he was smiling down towards her. "Nearly there, Captain," she said.

"You've better hang on tight then," Sora warned. "These waves are probably gonna throw us there!"

Giggling sweetly, Kairi turned towards the mast behind her and wrapped her arms around it, hugging it tightly as she watched the tenebrous beach ahead of them appear to draw closer.

"Shouldn't _you _hold onto something, Sora?" Naminé asked. She was peering up towards him from inside her Somebody, concern in her obscured eyes. "You might fall off if you're gonna be standing there with the waves pushing us. You don't want to-"

"I won't fall off, Naminé," Sora assured her confidently. "The waves aren't pushing us that hard. Besides..." He gave a snicker. "A ship's captain would take perfect care not to fall overboard."

"Well mind you don't, Sora!" Roxas cautioned. "I don't wanna fall and end up in the water with you!"

"Can you get wet inside Sora, then, Roxas?" Kairi tittered.

"No. But I still don't feel like taking a dip."

As the friends all shared a jovial laugh together, they felt the raft being lifted up by another one of the waves. It carried them swiftly further in the direction of the shore, which was now only a few yards away. Managing to pass under them, the wave washed up onto the beach, leaving the raft and its four riders behind to be thrust forward by the next one that was to come along.

"Last bit now!" Sora announced, observing what he could on the dark land he'd just rowed back to. He saw the estate beyond the back of the beach was still shrouded in pitch blackness with only a few dots of light visible from the wooden streetlamps. He could only just make out the enormous silhouettes of the houses, and he knew all the residents would still be tucked under the duvets of their beds, contented lost in deep sleep by now.

At that moment, the raft was propelled forward yet again by the force of the next oncoming wave.

"Whoa!" Kairi exclaimed, clinging onto the mast tighter, her excitement rising over being carried back to dry ground by the tide.

"Woohoo!" Sora cheered elatedly. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking; we have finally reached our destination - which is actually where we departed from. Please do not attempt to unboard the ship until it has come to a complete - _whargh!_"

The next thing Sora knew was that - to his alarm - he was being thrown backwards off the raft. Letting off a horrified cry with Roxas and letting his oar fall out of his hand, he heard his name being shouted by Kairi and Naminé before he plummeted with a splash into the shallow yet icy water. He found himself lying on his back where the shore had been consumed by the tide. In just that one split second, the back of the stunned boy was completely soaked, as was his clothing and crown.

"_Sora!_" Kairi shouted, quickly picking herself up and racing across the raft to stand over him. She peered down with wide, thunderstruck eyes where he lay in the water beside their creation (which had hurled him off when the bottom of its base had come into contact with the shore, bringing them to a stop). "Are you alright?"

Shaking from how cold he had become, the drenched and stupefied captain gaped up at the girl standing where he had been thrown overboard. He remained on his back, about to tell her he was okay - but the moment his mouth opened, his luck got even worse. Before he could get any words out, his vision of Kairi was cut off as an approaching wave suddenly lapped over him. He gave a loud yelp, his eyes full of sea water as he squeezed them shut whilst its disgusting salty taste filled the inside of his mouth. Annoyed over what had happened to him, he sat up with a scrunched-up face, now entirely saturated from head to foot. He had no idea the back of his sodden jacket had picked up some damp, dark brown sand from where he'd been lying as he rubbed his stinging eyes.

Together, Kairi and Naminé giggled.

Sora heard them both, and once his vision was clear, he gazed up at the red-haired girl with embarrassment. With his dripping hair matted down and not a single spike within it sticking up, he hardly looked anything like himself.

"Sorry, Sora," Naminé said, feeling the need to apologise for giggling over the mishap he had been struck with. "But I did warn you."

"You did, Naminé," Kairi agreed. "It's his own fault he ended up falling off!"

"Nice going, Sora," Roxas grumbled. Despite being protected from the water inside the drenched body of his Somebody, he was still annoyed to have been forced to fall off the raft with him. "I said I didn't wanna take a dip."

Sora pulled a face over the remarks being passed to him. He picked up his oar from where it had landed in the water, then dropped it onto the flat surface of the mast's base. "You guys could be a bit more sympathetic," he muttered. "I mean, Roxas, you said you get to stay dry inside of me. You're not the one dripping wet who's gotta sneak - _ooh!_"

He shuddered rigidly as another wave lapped past him and onto the shore. The biting cold temperature of the sea was not getting any warmer.

"What are you gonna do then, Sora?" Kairi asked, unable to help having an enormous, amused smile on her face as she watched him struggle to his feet.

"I dunno." With his hair and clothes dripping, Sora picked himself up and trudged heavily forward to get himself out of the water. "I guess I'll go through the back door so I won't get the floor in the lounge wet."

"And what about the kitchen floor?"

Sora paused, taking a moment to think of a way around the problem Kairi had just brought up. He knew his mother's suspicions would be raised if she were to find puddles on the kitchen floor the following morning. "I'll grab myself a dish cloth and wipe the floor as I'm walking along. I'll have to hide my wet clothes somewhere when I change into my pyjamas, then I'll have to shove them in the laundry basket tomorrow when Mom's not looking."

The soft sound of Kairi giggling again, as well as the continuous noise of the waves thundering, was joined by squelching of Sora's sodden boots. He was making his way over to the end of the raft, standing before it and crouching down as water from another wave lapped up on each of its sides. Preparing to lift it up, he slid his fingers underneath the base of sawn logs. They were all now dank and soft, smelling of the strong aroma of the sea.

"Oh, d'you want me to get off, Sora?" Kairi asked. She had noticed he was about to drag the raft clear of the waves. Without waiting for him to answer, she stepped off their wooden creation and stood in the shallow depth. The soles of her purple and white shoes were submerged in the brown, dirty water.

"No, Kairi, don't get off," Sora exclaimed. "You'll get your feet wet."

Kairi stepped forward to join the sixteen-year old near where he was bent over on the sand, giving him a smirk. "Can't get any more wet than you," she teased.

After making another face at her, Sora turned his attention back to the raft he had just lifted up slightly. He gripped onto the wood tightly, then began to clump backwards, lugging the tall and heavy device with all his strength. It slid slowly along the sand and out of the water. It was a heavy weight for Sora to haul, already causing his back to begin to ache.

Kairi saw that he was struggling to pull the enormous device along by himself, so she strode around to its front end (which was facing the waves that were lapping before it). As it scraped away from her by one inch, she squatted down and raised it a little from underneath so that the entire raft was balanced above the sand in Sora's hands and hers. She completely ignored how heavy it was and how soggy the logs felt. Her determination to help the boy could not be brought down.

From the opposite end of the raft, Sora had felt it being lifted up by another pair of hands which had taken some of the weight out of his. Surprised, he peered up towards the sail that was blocking his view of the girl helping him. He could only just see her lower arms and some pink from her minidress through the gap between the bottom of the sail and the flat surface of the base of logs. A smile crept across his face, brought by the girl's generous nature once again. "Thanks, Kairi."

"Where are you gonna put it?" Roxas asked.

"We'll just leave it over there by the boats," Sora answered, still cautiously treading backwards as he nodded over his shoulder towards the rear of the beach, where the rowing boats belonging to him and his friends were all sitting together.

"Will it be safe there?" Naminé asked worriedly. "Nobody will steal it or vandalise it, will they?"

"Nah." Sora shook his head (forgetting that Naminé couldn't see him from behind the sail). "We never have anything like that over here. It's only me, Kairi and a few of our friends who have our own rowing boats, and we leave them here all the time. People always leave them alone, so our raft will be alright."

Still bearing the raft between them, the two Somebodies reached where the boats were lined up in a row. Sora glanced back to find they were in front of the third boat from his left. Carefully, he gaited towards the end of the row, attempting to use the raft to steer the fifteen-year old the new way. "This way, Kairi."

Kairi felt the raft being carried by Sora in a different direction, so she followed him in his tracks, still walking at a steady pace whilst keeping her end in the air. She had barely taken a few more steps, however, when she heard him call to her again.

"To the right now!"

Sure enough, the craft was beginning to bear in the direction Sora had just instructed Kairi to go in. A quick glance towards the nearby boats told her they had reached the end of the row, which was where the boy intended to leave the raft. She was just going after him, still hefting the large device with him, when she felt its weight sinking down in her hands. Her upper arms strained, beginning to ache at the same time her fingers were. She did her best to ignore it, as they were just stopping alongside the boat at the end of the row. They were holding the raft above the spot where they were planned to put it down. It was only now Kairi realized just how heavy their one-year old creation was.

"Alright, Kairi!" Sora hailed. "Down, down, down!"

There hadn't been any need for him to give her the next order, as Kairi was already lowering her end of the raft gingerly to the ground. The weight tried to drag her down with it, but she kept it under control. Once she and Sora had gently placed it down so that the bottom of the base of logs were lying flat on the smooth sand, she immediately straightened up and shook her sore hands. It was incredible how much freer she felt now that she didn't have to carry the bulky wooden load for any longer. Yet despite how heavy it had been, she was glad she hadn't let Sora haul it on his own.

A long, frazzled, relieved groan was let out on the other side of the sail.

It was followed by the sound of Roxas' voice. "Are you alright, Sora?"

With her expression lifting with amusement, Kairi peered past the sail to find Sora emerging from behind it, straightening up his aching back. He looked very thankful to no longer be moving the weight of the raft. He stood before the girl, who had no idea he was only regaining his strength so as to be able to thank her. She watched him as he held out his hands from behind his back, flexing and rubbing them to get rid of some of the soreness they had built up.

Kairi giggled. "Was that too heavy for you, you lazy bum?"

Sora stopped rubbing his hands in surprise over the sudden playful mocking at him. He shot Kairi a stunned look with wide, taken aback eyes, then sniggered dryly and shook his head in disbelief before gesturing to the tall device towering over them. "Aww, c'mon, Kairi! That thing is massive! Didn't you find it heavy as well?"

"I did!" Kairi confessed with a nod. "I'm just kidding, Sora! I found it _really _heavy! I didn't want you to hurt yourself, carrying it all by yourself."

The boy's expression changed again, this time into one of gratefulness. The girl he loved had shown and expressed care towards him as usual, receiving in return the large, soft grin that had just grown across his face. "Thanks, Kairi."

Kairi smiled. She was just about thank Sora for taking her on yet another wonderful trip out - but all that escaped from her mouth was a small yawn.

"Oh!" Sora exclaimed urgently. "Are you tired, Kairi?"

"Oh, I'm really sorry, Sora," Kairi apologized, finding her head had become a little heavy as she sleepily rubbed her eyes. "I can't keep my eyes open now, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Sora said. "I completely forgot how late it is."

"We've had a pretty busy night," Roxas put in.

"And thank you for letting us join in with you two, Sora," Naminé added appreciatively. "I really had a wonderful time with you. But you didn't have to do that."

Sora sent a smile down towards Kairi, ensuring the Nobody inside of her could see it. "Don't be silly, Naminé. We've both absolutely _loved _having you and Roxas along for our raft ride."

"Well thanks a lot for having us, guys," Roxas said. "And thanks again for helping me and Naminé to have a hug, earlier."

"Aww!" Kairi giggled happily from the mention of the sweet moment she and Sora had helped the Nobodies to share whilst they were out at sea. "It's okay, Roxas!"

Inside the red-haired girl, Naminé was smiling softly. The night had been the happiest she'd had in her entire life. She didn't need to be free or independent from Kairi's body for it to have been so wondrous. With the days of being held captive by Organization XIII behind her, she'd been able to enjoy an outing with three friends - one being a boy she was secretly in love with. Chatting with them whilst on their cruise filled with joy and laughter had been a very uplifting experience for Naminé - and what had been a highly magical part of it was taking a moment to cherish having Roxas' arms around her (even if she'd needed Sora's arms around her, too). Just thinking back on it was bringing such warm emotions to Naminé, making her feel as if she'd always had a heart all along.

"Are you ready to go, Kairi?" Sora asked.

Kairi nodded her head wearily. "Ready."

"Let's go then."

The Princess of Heart looked down to find Sora had extended a soggy gloved-hand to her. She just gazed at it for a moment, silently observing how soaked it had become, but then took hold of it and squeezed it tightly. _I'll give him a hug when we get back to my house,_ she thought. _I don't care how wet he is._

Squeezing Kairi's hand back, Sora turned to lead her away from the raft and out through the closest gap in the nearby facing. They were now about to follow the path that wound its way through the posh housing estate behind the beach. The two of them were leaving the sea, as well as the enormous wooden float they'd used to cruise across it together. All they were taking with them were the Nobodies inside them. Together, they made their way through the dark estate, passing the large shapes of the sleeping houses - with Sora's boots squelching with every step he took.

* * *

The pair of Somebodies found the street where they lived was still as silent and dim as they'd left it. They treaded down it together, slowly following the sidewalk, their hands remaining joined. The glowing beams of light from the streetlamps allowed them to see some of the houses' upstairs windows, although they couldn't bring out the colours of the curtains drawn across them. The slumbering residents inside wouldn't have any idea of the two teenagers walking in the outside world at such a late hour.

"Are you definitely gonna be going through the back door of your house now, Sora?" Kairi asked curiously, smiling.

Sora - still sodden from head to feet - turned to grin down at her without stopping. "Only after I've dropped you off, Princess," he answered. "I'm not gonna just run down the street and leave you here by yourself in the dark!"

"Okay." The fifteen-year old gave a tickled giggle over her hero's overprotective nature. "But make sure you go in _quietly_, Sora, and don't wake your mom up. I couldn't live with myself if you got in trouble for taking me out-"

"Oh, don't worry, Kairi, I won't get caught," Sora soothed. "I managed to sneak back in yesterday morning without disturbing Mom. I'll make sure I'll do that again, even if I've gotta go through the back door."

"Well, mind you be very, very quiet, Sora," Naminé warned him solemnly.

"Especially if you're seriously gonna be dragging a dish cloth along the floor with you," Roxas joined in with a snicker.

Sora snorted, stopping with Kairi outside the gateway to her house. "I'll be careful, Roxas! Don't you go making any sounds to give me away!"

"Hey, I've hardly said a word since I've been stuck inside you, boy!" the dirty blond-haired Nobody protested humorously. "Your mom doesn't even know I exist! Every second you've been with her since I've joined up with you, she's had no idea that there's another boy living under her roof!"

Kairi and Naminé tittered, both knowing Roxas was right about how oblivious Nikkou was have him residing with her in her house.

"Well no offense, Roxas, but we need to keep it that way while I'll be sneaking upstairs to my room. If Mom hears us and finds out I've been sneaking out during the night, she'll make sure I can't do the same again tonight." With a pause, Sora turned to gravely face the beautiful red-haired girl who was smiling softly up at him. "And then I won't be able to keep my promise to Kairi or take her on her next surprise."

His words erased the smile from Kairi's face, leaving her looking very stunned as she blushed a deep red. The love of her life was still determined to keep his sincere promise to her, even when he'd stuck to it over the past several days and nights, selflessly giving up so much of his time for her.

"Don't worry, Sora," Roxas smiled. "I promise I won't make a sound."

A grin flashed across Sora's face, brought on by his Nobody's agreement, but quickly directed to the princess. "And I promise I'll be extra quiet while I'm sneaking back up to my room. I'll pick you up again tonight so I can take you on your next surprise."

Kairi brightly returned a small grin of her own to her hero - before stepping towards him with her arms raised. Ignoring how drenched he was (as well how surprised he now looked), she embraced him tightly. She didn't care that his clothes were very cold and soggy, making her a little wet. The sea hadn't been able to wash away how magnificent he was.

"Kairi!" Sora exclaimed, gawking down in his astonishment at her, his arms slightly raised but not around her. "You're getting yourself all wet!"

"I don't care." Kairi contentedly rested her head onto Sora's chest, paying no mind to how damp the material of his shirt felt on her hair. "I'm nowhere near as wet as how grateful I am to have you in my life."

Sora blushed, his heart pounding faster with warm happiness building inside. Kairi certainly had the sweet words to make him feel very moved, which was one of the countless reasons why he was thankful to have her in his life in return.

"C'mon, Sora!" Roxas urged cheerily. "You know you wanna hug her back!"

The sixteen-year old made a face - but he had to agree with his Nobody, who was absolutely right. He gazed down softly at the girl snuggling up to him, who he'd been very reluctant to get wet. Very slowly, he lifted his arms up more and placed them lightly around her, trying as best he could not to let too much of the water dripping off of him leak onto her clothes.

Kairi let out a sigh of comfort into the night air. Regardless of how wet he was, she felt very happy to be in the embrace the one she loved.

Sora grinned delightedly. "I'm not making _you _wet, am I, Naminé?"

"No," Naminé confirmed. "I can't feel how wet you are, Sora. But I can still feel your arms-"

"Great!" Roxas interrupted with joy. "That means you can feel _me _hugging you again!"

Naminé's eyes widened a little, her cheeks turning a faint pink. She smiled to herself over what Roxas had made her realize. She was highly relishing having his arms back around her.

"You guys enjoying having another hug?" Kairi grinned. She was making no effort to remove her head from Sora's chest. Inside of her was a strong feeling that Naminé was secretly revelling in having her own head where Roxas' chest would be - just as much as Roxas probably was himself.

No answer came from either of the Nobodies. They were in such bliss to be experiencing how they were able to embrace one another from inside the bodies of their original selves.

The hug lasted a little longer before Sora and Kairi pulled away, exchanging small smiles made from their heaps of happiness.

"Are you and your mom going out anywhere today?" Kairi murmured sleepily.

Sora blinked, then his face fell dramatically, all the felicity he'd been feeling seeping out of him. What Kairi had just innocently asked made him abruptly remember something very important he was going to be doing when the sun would finally rise. He had in fact informed her about it during the day they'd spent flying together in the hot air balloon. She seemed to had completely forgotten about it, meaning he was going to have to remind her - which he knew he should have done much earlier. He turned away from her in dismay. He could almost feel the weight of this piece of news lade down on his shoulders as they sagged heavily.

"Sora? Are you alright?" Kairi exclaimed. His unforeseen change of mood had taken her aback. She gazed up at Sora in immense alert, unaware that inside of her, an equally-surprised Naminé was sending an expression similar to hers towards him.

Within the body of the troubled sixteen-year old, Roxas was also starting to fret over his Somebody's turn of emotion. However, unlike the girls, he had an idea in his head of what had brought it on. His thoughts were based on what Kairi had asked Sora about going out with his mother, as well as something he'd witness Nikkou regularly mention to her son during the day before.

"Sora?" Kairi's cried again, her worry rising rapidly.

Feeling a knot inside his stomach tighten in his fear of taking away all the euphoria he'd brought to her, Sora faced her nervously. "Kairi ... d'you remember what I told you four days ago, when we were making our way over to the hot air balloon? What I told you I'd be doing four days from then?"

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows slightly over what she'd just asked to recall. Unable to remember it straightaway, she began to rack her brain and squeezed her eyes shut, thinking back to the morning when Sora had been leading her to the hot air balloon.

The memories started to flow through her head, enabling her to relive it all. She'd been very distressed over the whole reason why Sora was spending so much time with her, but had been trying to keep her emotions hidden. He'd seen right through her, though, and she'd only been to control her feelings for so long before she'd finally broken down in tears. As he'd attempted to comfort her, she'd unhappily asked him how the surgery he'd been through on his birthday had went. This had led him to explain to her that the deadly cells in his arm had all been taken out. He'd also told how the doctor had applied some dressing, which would need to be-

"The dressing!" Kairi burst out, realizing. "You said you were gonna have it removed!"

Sora nodded slowly. "That's right, Kairi. I gotta go up the hospital today to have it taken off."

"Is your dressing alright?" Naminé questioned urgently. "It's not coming off after you falling in the water, is it?"

Turning his back to the girls, Sora lifted up his dampened right sleeve, peering down at his upper arm. The dressing which Doctor Mizu had applied after operating on him was still clinging firmly to his skin. He gave it a small prod to make sure it hadn't been weakened by the sea water which had saturated it. The thin transparent material was as wet as he was, but wasn't ready to peel away from his arm. It kept the white cloth fixed securely down, covering the area where the ugly cancerous lump had once been.

"It's alright," Sora confirmed, beginning to spin around. "It's not gonna come off. It's-" He broke off, feeling his heart go heavy from the upsetting sight before him.

Kairi was smiling sadly up at him. She was trying to look brave, but her whole body was trembling. Although there were no sign of any tears in her eyes, it took Sora no time to detect the agony within them. He knew the activity he was to go through that day, due to the lethal condition his body had fallen into, was taking a terrible affect on her. It had undoubtedly driven her to think of the fearful possibility of losing him in two days - which he'd been trying to keep out of her mind as best as he could.

Upset over seeing the girl he loved in such intense unhappiness (which he knew he'd brought to her himself), Sora gazed at her woefully and raised his arms up towards her. He didn't know that inside of her, Naminé was peering up at him in emotions that matched those of her Somebody.

What he also didn't know was that inside of himself, an enormous frown was just spreading its way across Roxas' face. Something else truly horrible had just stuck inside his mind, leaving him feeling not only taken aback, but also becoming increasingly alarmed.

With her heart shattered, Kairi darted into Sora's arms, throwing her own around him tightly. Her body quaked even harder as she felt him gently hold her. She didn't care in the slightest that he was sopping wet, wishing she could stay in his arms forever.

"I hope it goes okay for you at the hospital," she mumbled in a quiet, shaky voice. "And I hope you get to go somewhere nice with your mom, afterwards. You two really need to spend some lovely time together. Just like you did-"

"_Hang on!_" Roxas burst out suddenly. "I've just realized something!"

The two teenagers jerked their heads upright. Both were taken aback by the anxious-sounding Nobody who'd just interrupted Kairi to divert their attention onto him.

Naminé frowned, annoyed with Roxas for the first time in her life. She couldn't think of anything that was so important, he needed to break into their Somebodies' moment whilst Sora was trying to comfort Kairi. "What is it, Roxas?"

Her blue eyes full of irritation couldn't see how troubled Roxas was. What he had to say would upset Sora and Kairi even further before he even got to the point. He gazed down dismally at the Princess of Heart. He was going to hate himself for bringing stronger anguish to her and her hero, but he knew avoiding having to would be impossible. There was something about what they all feared would happen to Sora in two days which nobody at all had realized before he had just done so.

"Sora..." he murmured uneasily, "you know if..." He hesitated, struggling to get to terrible words out. "You know if you..."

"If I what, Roxas?" Sora asked. He had no idea what his Nobody was trying to tell him.

Roxas swallowed, deciding to change some of his words and forcing himself to deliver the new ones. "You know if your cancer ... h-has spread?"

As Sora's face went white with shock whilst Naminé blared out Roxas' name, a loud horror-stricken cry erupted into the night air. It had escaped Kairi. She felt as though she'd just been stabbed in the heart by Roxas' suggestion that she was to lose the person she loved. It seemed to really drain her strength out of her, leaving her only enough to cling onto the boy embracing her as her body went weak. She hid her face in Sora's shoulder, letting out a broken sob.

"How can you ask that, Roxas?" Naminé hollered. She was now furious with him. Though the material of Sora's jacket was completely covering her own face as well as Kairi's, it was unable to muffle her bellowing voice. "How can you even _think _to ask that? Sora's been fighting his cancer over the last week! He's had the operation, too, so how can you-"

"I know! I know all that, Naminé!" Roxas interrupted defensively. "I know what I've said is terrible and I really regret saying it - but there's something that I really need to know!"

"What is it then, Roxas?" Sora asked. He was feeling as much dismay as Kairi was as he held her more tightly.

None of them could see that anxiety and stress was spreading across Roxas' face, brought on by what he feared would be the answer to his question. "If that ... has happened ... what's gonna happen to _me_?"

Bewilderment exploded inside the three widening pairs of eyes that accompanied Roxas'. A thunderstruck frown crinkled across Sora's face as Kairi lifted her head, revealing she was wearing an agape expression, too. They faced one another in their shock over what they'd just been asked, both realizing it was something they hadn't given a single thought to it over the fortnight. Neither of them knew Naminé was looking on in horror as well.

"Wh-what?" Sora stammered.

"If that does happen to you..." Roxas said unhappily, "...will _I_ die?"

"_NO!_" Kairi screamed, shaking her head frantically. "No you won't, Roxas! You won't die! Will he, Sora?"

"No, of course not!" Though Sora knew both he and Kairi were trying to convince themselves what they were telling Roxas was correct, he refused to accept that his Nobody's fear was one that was likely to come true. "It was _me_ who caught cancer, Roxas, not you! D-did you get affected in anyway when I got sunburnt on the beach?"

"No..." Roxas murmured. "But-"

"Well there you go then! Nothing's gonna happen to you! You're gonna be perfectly fine! Isn't he, Naminé?"

Naminé didn't answer. Her face had fallen while her distressed feelings were building up inside her. She knew far more about what Sora and Kairi didn't want to believe was lethal to Roxas. It led her to begin panting rapidly, frightened over what was likely to happen to the love of her life in two days.

"Naminé?" Kairi exclaimed in a voice of rising dread.

Wincing in her agony, Naminé squeezed her eyes shut as she braced herself to explain what her friends wouldn't like hearing. "If ... if a Somebody ... d-d-dies ... when they are one with their Nobody..."

"_Yes?_" Roxas cried, his panic doubling in size from the long pause Naminé was taking.

"What happens?" Sora added desperately.

It was at that moment when the sound of a sob escaped from Kairi's body, then to the increasing alarm of the fifteen-year old girl and the boys, a tear suddenly leaked out of each of her eyes.

"_The Nobody dies with them!_" Naminé wailed mournfully.

"_NO!_" Sora and Kairi shouted together, clutching one another much tighter in their trepidation of what they now realized could happen to Roxas.

The dirty blond-haired Nobody was stunned. His question had just met the exact answer he'd feared it would receive - and yet despite this, he was completely unwilling to accept it. "No..." he said. "No, that can't happen to me!"

Kairi gazed up at Sora with her face scrunched up. Tears of her own were now building in her eyes. She could barely believe what she'd just learnt. Not only was there a chance that the boy she loved was likely to lose his life in two days, but the living soul inside him - who they'd befriended - was facing the same possibility himself. It was too much for her. She trembled fearfully in Sora's arms as she began to cry - as did the girl living inside her, resulting in more tears than usual running down her face.

"Please, no!" Roxas wheezed hysterically. "No!"

Sora's body had stiffened up, his arms slipping away from Kairi. Implanted in his head was the petrifying realization that it would be entirely _his_ fault if his Nobody were to die. "I'm ... I'm sorry, Roxas..."

"_Noooo!_" Losing complete control of his emotions as quickly as they had built up, Roxas began to bawl bitterly.

Sora felt tears creeping out of his dispirited eyes to race one another down his cheeks. Coupled with the sobbing noise which came from inside him, he knew that the soul within him had started to cry - and without attempting to stop himself, he did the same. He hated himself even more now. Lazing under the burning sun hadn't just led him to catch a lethal illness which had put everyone he cared about in fear of losing him; it was also the starting point for another life to be at risk of being taken. His anger over how stupid he'd been flared across his whole body. All he felt he could do was howl and weep, resulting in more tears tricking out of his eyes. He felt Kairi hold onto him even tighter as she and Naminé cried along with him and Roxas.

"I'm gonna die," Roxas mourned. "I'm gonna die, I know it."

"No!" Sora hollered. "D-don't say that, Roxas! I've been fighting this cancer, so we could live!"

The sixteen-year's broken but hopeful words were unable to raise any feeling of encouragement into his wailing, despaired Nobody. "I'm gonna die..."

"_Stop saying that!_" Naminé screamed. She had never in her life felt such emotional pain, which was being worsened by the terrible things the one she loved was saying about himself. "Stop saying that, Roxas, you're hurting me!"

With tears continuing to fall from his eyes to run down Sora's cheeks, Roxas peered dismally down at Kairi, listening to Naminé's sobs. He'd never seen her cry before, and even that very moment, he was still unable to. He could only listen to her heavy weeping, which was enough to make his mood sink even lower. He could feel Kairi's arms still around him, making him wish he and Naminé could leave the bodies of their Nobodies so that he could give her a proper tight hug, never to let her go. The dreadful thought of having to be taken from her forever scared him even more than having to face death itself.

"Please stop saying that..." the blonde-haired girl whimpered softly. "Please..."

"I ... I can't leave you, Naminé..."

The anguished expression on Naminé's concealed face deepened. The night had granted her a chance to at long last hear Roxas' voice again - and just within a short amount of time, she'd learnt that she would perhaps never hear it again after two nights. "And I can't ... lose you, Roxas ... I can't..."

Sora gave a small pant. More pain was being driven through his heart by the exchange of doleful words he was listening to. Losing his life would result in Naminé losing somebody she loved, which he didn't want to be responsible for putting her through.

As the four of them all sobbed together, Kairi's arms slipped weakly away from Sora. She sank miserably to her knees and onto the solid concrete. Sniffling, she pressed her palms firmly to the sides of her head, which was where all the pressure of everything she was fearing would soon happen was building up. The possibility of having the one person she loved and another boy she'd become friends with both facing their own deaths was unbearable torture for her. She couldn't see why she had to suffer this. All she felt she could do now was just disappear into her house to shut herself away from the world.

Lifting herself back up to her feet, Kairi turned away from Sora and sprinted towards the front door of her house - much to the bemusement of the others.

"Kairi?" Sora exclaimed, his teary eyes widening as he watched her charge through her gateway and along her garden path.

"Kairi, wait!" Naminé cried. To her growing horror, she was being carried away from Sora and Roxas, having no way of stopping herself from heading towards Kairi's house. Being trapped inside the fifteen-year's old's body, she didn't have any control of her own movements - but she wasn't ready to be taken away from the boy she was afraid to lose. "Wait, please!"

"Naminé!" Roxas' yelling voice filled the street, full of alarm over having the blonde-haired girl being taken away from him.

The frantic shouts which her actions were bringing on were completely ignored by Kairi. She heard Sora's feet pounding behind her along her path, but she just proceeded to sprint away from him faster, pulling her house key out from her pouch. The crying princess was completely unable to think straight. She pounded up onto her doorstep and quickly began to unlock her front door. Her tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Plenty more were to follow when she would reach her room to sob her heart out.

"Kairi, please!" Sora wailed, having crossed three quarters of the path when his widening eyes saw that her door was being pushed open.

"Roxas!" Naminé bawled as she was forced to disappear into the darkness of her Somebody's vacant house.

"_Naminéééééééé!_" Roxas hollered dramatically.

The moment one of Sora's large soles came down on the doorstep, he was met with a deafening bang that exploded right in front of his face. Kairi had slammed the door shut before he could race into the house after her. The sound of her key turning in the lock could be heard from the other side of the door, followed by her continuous cries and the noise of her feet pounding up the staircase.

Distraught, in tears and full of hate for himself, Sora crumpled to his hands and knees on the doorstep. He wept bitterly on. The wonderful night-out he'd shared with the girl he loved had been ruined. Instead of returning home thinking of how much of a magical time he'd had with Kairi, he was going back thinking about how it had ended with her heart being shattered.

"Sora..." Roxas murmured nervously, "...I'm really sorry I wrecked your night-out with Kairi."

The unexpected apology from the other boy made Sora halt his sobs. He bit his lip to hold them back. "Oh ... it's alright, Roxas," he answered, forcing a smile. "You just wanted to know..." His half-broken voice trailed off.

"But I should've kept my mouth shut! I should've waited 'till after Kairi had gone! I'm sorry, Sora. This whole mess is my fault."

"No, Roxas." Sora shook his head as he picked himself back up before turning around the doorstep, trudging heavily along the garden path towards the gateway. "None of this is your fault; it's mine. I never should have just lazed around in the sun when I came back home. I never should have fallen asleep that day. I never..."

The rest of what Sora had to say never left his mouth. Instead, he let out softer sobs, passing through the gateway before heading down the sidewalk to go back to his house. The torment of what was probable to happen to him and Roxas in two days wasn't going to leave him.

"I'm sorry, Roxas," he whimpered miserably as he passed through the light given off by a nearby streetlamp.

All Roxas did was let another of his tears run down Sora's face, which hid the sad gaze on his own. He didn't utter another word as he was taken with his Somebody down the street. He was angrily berating himself deep down inside for being such a happiness destroyer.

Once he'd made it to his house, Sora reached into his soggy pocket to pull out his mother's set of keys. They jangled softly, tiny drops of water falling from them. Forgetting he had decided to enter his house through the back entrance, Sora passed where Nikkou's car was parked up on the driveway to stand on the doorstep. He was still crying as he inserted the key to the front door into the lock.

Crying so heart, it was consuming most of his energy.

Turning the key, Sora pushed the door open - and fell to the wooden floor with a crash and a startled cry from Roxas. He sobbed quietly where he had landed. He wasn't thinking of how he was sopping wet. He wasn't thinking about how he still needed to creep upstairs to his room. He wasn't think about how he needed to avoid being heard by his mother to keep her from finding out that he had sneaked out into the night. All he could think of was how his and Roxas' lives were possibly nearly over, as well as how their deaths would mean they would both leave behind a person they really loved.

"Sora?"

Sora's sobs stopped dead in his throat, his eyes widening in panic. He'd just heard his mother's tired voice call to him from her room. It could only mean he'd woken her up with the noise he had made by plunging to the floor. Terrified, he lifted himself to his feet to close the door, praying she wouldn't come downstairs to find out what he was up to and see him completely soaked.

"What are you doing up?" Nikkou called.

"Oh, I was just getting a drink, Mom!" Sora called back untruthfully. He had the set of keys back in his hand, having taken them out of the lock just before carefully pushing the door into place. He left them onto the small table nearby without letting them make a single clink. Hurriedly slipping off his drenched boots and socks, he held them in his hand as he made his way over to the foot of the staircase.

He began to slowly make his way up, still deeply afraid his mother would leave her room to see him. "I'm just coming back up now."

"Oh alright then, Sora," Nikkou replied from behind her bedroom door. "Get to sleep now 'cause we're up early in the morning."

Sora's wounded heart sank even lower. Though he was relieved evidence of his secret night out was not going to be revealed, it was impossible for him to feel even the slightest bit better. Knowing exactly why he was going to be so up early, he wasn't looking forward to seeing the place he would be visiting again.

* * *

Lying under his duvet, now dressed in his pyjamas. Sora was staring unhappily down into darkened space near the floor. His sodden clothes and shoes were stuffed out of view under his bed, joined by a towel he'd taken from the bathroom on the way back to his lightless bedroom. He'd used it to dry himself as best he could, but his hair was still damp as his head rested on the pillow. He was going to have to hope his mother wouldn't notice the next day, and that his hair would be dried up by the time she would come into his room to wake him.

His hair wasn't the only thing making the pillow wet; fresh new tears were falling from his eyes to land on the fabric casing.

Some of them were coming from Roxas, who was silently crying along with him.

* * *

**Yep. This outing for Sora and Kairi ended sadly instead of happily. I figured that since Sora is possibly facing death, then surely Roxas' life would possibly be on the line as well. I felt that was too important to ignore, so I had to get that fact in, and that's how this chapter ended like this. So not only has Kairi got to face the chances that she could lose the boy she loves, but Naminé has to go through the same, too.**

**Keep reading to find out whether Sora and Roxas live or not, as we are nearing the end of the tale. **

**By the way, keep in mind that this chapter is set early hours in the morning, which is why it keeps says they are likely to die in two days - when Sora has two more outings to take Kairi on. Sorry if that caused you any confusion there.**


	62. Brighter Appearence

**Managed to get this chapter done sooner than I expected. It's a very short one, as I figured a lot of the stuff I was going to include in it wasn't necessary. So I managed to get it done in quick time.**

* * *

"Come on, Sora, eat your breakfast."

Sora lifted his exhausted, despondent gaze up from the slices of buttered toast on his plate. He sorrowfully faced his mother, who was sitting opposite him at the kitchen table, already dressed in her usual clothes. A steaming cup of coffee was clutched in her hand whilst a worried expression was on her face. Only now did she look like she was beginning to sense something was wrong with him. She showed no signs of being suspicious of what he'd been up to during the previous night. Thankfully, she hadn't said anything about his messy hair. Immediately after being woken from his sleep by the sound of her knocking on his bedroom door, he'd run a hairbrush through it to make it stick up again. Leaving it matted down would have been a subtle hint to the night's events, and Sora wasn't prepared to take any chances of his mother finding out about them.

With a heavy hand, Sora picked up a piece of toast to bite into it, too weary and too sombre to taste it at all.

"What's the matter?" Nikkou asked softly.

Sora swallowed. There was no way he could explain to her what had brought his mood down so low. Telling her about Roxas was out of the question. Although he was aching to tell her how his Nobody's life was just as much on the line as his own was, he couldn't. She wouldn't believe him in the slightest if he told her that another boy had been living inside his body since he'd returned from his year-long journey. She would surely dismiss his claim as a ridiculous, fantastical idea. That would perhaps lead to Roxas speaking to her to prove her wrong - which would result in her receiving the biggest shock of her life.

The nerves in Sora's stomach tensed up. He was afraid Roxas was silently resenting him for not mentioning that he was feasibly going to die as well.

"Sora?"

"I don't wanna go to the hospital, Mom," Sora finally said. That was true enough. He didn't want to be making visits to the hospital. He didn't want the deadly disease he had caught exactly a fortnight ago - and possibly still had, even after going through surgery. The only thing he wanted was to live a worry-free life to the fullest, staying with her, Kairi, Riku and everyone else he cared about without the fear of leaving them.

Nikkou smiled sadly. "You have to, Sora. You've got to have your dressing removed."

"But I don't wanna go there, Mom. All I wanna do is just have a nice normal day. No hospitals, no doctors, no dressings, no-"

Sora's small voice broke off. He felt his wounded heart go heavy once again. His head hung, filled with anguish. He'd intended to finish what he was saying with 'cancer', but had stopped himself out of quickly remembering the solid terror it was putting his mother through.

Unbeknownst to her son, Nikkou had a strong feeling that 'cancer' was the word he was going to say, and she was forcing herself not to cry as she went on speaking gently. "I know, Sora ... and ... we will as soon as soon as we leave the hospital."

Sora lifted his head, gazing curiously at her.

"Why don't I take you to Night Sky afterwards?"

The boy's ears instantly perked up. He was surprised to learn Nikkou wanted to take him to the restaurant which he'd taken Kairi to himself, treating her to both a meal and a dance. "But it doesn't open until seven," he said.

"That's alright. We'll go out somewhere for the day after we leave the hospital, and then we'll go there in the evening. How does that sound?"

Sora took in the smile his mother was sending him. He could tell she really wanted them both to eat at Night Sky, just for him (exactly like how he'd taken Kairi there, just for her). It was something he had to be grateful for, but inside his mind was what he intended to do in the late hours of the forthcoming night.

"Will we be back late?" he asked after a moment.

"No." The smile disappeared from Nikkou's face, leaving a curious gaze that her son's question had brought on. "Why? Have you got something planned?"

Sora simpered, keeping his secret plans concealed inside his head as he shook it slowly. "No, Mom," he answered. "Nothing at all." _As long as I don't fall asleep when we get home, _he thought, _nothing can stop me from taking Kairi out._

"We don't have to go if you don't want to," Nikkou assured him. "I only suggested it because I thought you'd like that."

Sora's expression softened, as he was now warming to the idea of going to Night Sky with her. "I would, Mom."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Why would I not wanna go to the best restaurant ever with the best mom ever?"

A grin instantly spread across Nikkou's face. Her son's loving words about her were filling her heart with warmth. They also managed to drive her out of her chair to walk her around the table, putting her arms around Sora and leaving a kiss on his forehead. "Oh, Sora. You're so lovely!"

As Sora's held his smile, he felt the alarmed feelings that had just stretched inside him retreat. He'd quietly begun to panic as Nikkou had began to make her way over to him; he'd known she was going to give him a kiss and was afraid she would plant it on his hair - where she could have possibly picked up a faint aroma of the sea.

"Right, well you've have to eat your breakfast, quick now," Nikkou told him, letting him go to return to her seat at the table. "Then you'll have to go up to shower and get dressed."

Sora nodded and took another bite out of the piece of toast in his hand. The orders he'd just been given would allow him a chance to wash away the last traces of the sea out of his hair - before doing what he was secretly a little edgy about.

* * *

Thirteen minutes had passed since Sora had disappeared upstairs. Nikkou was standing alone in the lounge, gazing out of the window with her handbag hanging from her shoulder. She was all ready to take her son to the hospital. As soon as he was dressed and would come down, they could be on their way. They had to be at their destination before half past ten.

As she waited for him, Nikkou thought back on all that had happened over the fortnight that had passed. She could still sharply remember the horrific sight of her son walking through the front door with red, sunburnt skin. Even more horrific to see had been the beastly lump they'd found had grown on his arm. She'd feared what it meant the very moment her eyes had fallen onto it, but it wasn't until Doctor Mizu confirmed he had cancer when pain had really sunk into her heart. It had left her distraught and shaken, becoming even worse when Mizu had said Sora possibly only had a fortnight left to live. The days had gone by so quickly since then, with the one they feared now arriving after two nights. Sora had truly been making the most of being alive - by dedicating a lot of his time to a certain girl he'd been friends with since he was five.

With icy, perturbed feelings building inside her, Nikkou gazed around the empty lounge. It was unpleasantly quiet and felt very dismal. Was this what it was to be like in just two days? Without her precious, beloved son there, it undoubtedly would be. A painful lump grew inside her throat as she turned back to the window. She couldn't bare the idea of living here all on her own without Sora. She'd raised him as best as she could, putting his needs before her own, even after she'd lost her husband and was left to bring him up on her own. Now fate had decided to try taking him from her. Had she been a bad mother all along?

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

The sudden sound of her son's footsteps snatched Nikkou out of her thoughts. It told her that he was behind her, descending the staircase. Feeling better for his presence in the lounge, she started to turn towards him to urge him out the door. "Alright then, Sora. Are you ready to-_huh? _What are you wearing?"

Sora smiled nervously down at her. Her reaction to the sight of him had been exactly what he'd expected. His spiky hair was now sticking up naturally, as he had washed it thoroughly while upstairs. It was the rest of his appearance which had changed drastically.

Instead of his usual clothes - which were still dank and soggy as he'd disposed of them in the upstairs laundry basket - he was dressed in a red t-shirt with two white stripes running across his chest, most of it hidden away by the dark blue hooded jacket he had on over it. He was also sporting a baggy pair of trousers that were similar to the ones he usually wore, expect they were blue to match his jacket. On his feet were black boots with white laces that he had not made use of for two years. Struggling to pull them on had given him an idea of how much he'd grown since he'd last worn them, but they managed to do their job of taking over the role of his drenched regular boots (which were still hidden away under his bed). No gloves were on his hands. The only item of his regular clothing which he'd put on was the silver crown-shaped pendant hanging from the chain around his neck.

"Why are you wearing all that, Sora?" Nikkou frowned, stepping closer to the staircase. "Where are your normal clothes?"

Sora agitatedly plodded down to the foot of the stairs, his feet feeling uncomfortable in the shoes. "Well, I've worn those clothes for days now, Mom," he said, trying to keep calm. "I was thinking I should wear something else."

"But ... Sora, you haven't worn those things for years!" As Nikkou examined him with befuddlement, she noticed the boots on his feet. "What about those shoes? Do they still fit you?"

"Yes!" Sora was becoming more uneasy, worrying she was going to try to find his regular clothes. "They fit, Mom! I just felt I should-"

"Oh, come on," Nikkou interrupted, barely listening. "We're gonna be late if we don't get out of here now."

With a disapproving expression, she turned away from her son, beginning to tread over to the small table near the front door, where her set of keys were resting.

It was at that point when alarm bells began ringing inside Sora's head. He remembered in horror that the keys had been in his pocket when he'd fallen off the raft and into the sea water. They'd probably still been soaked when he'd left them on the table. Now his mother was about to take them in her hand! If they were still wet when she'd pick them up, any suspicions she possibly had about what he'd been up to during the night were sure to be raised.

Frozen in his growing fear, Sora watched with eyes full of dread as Nikkou lifted the keys off of the table - and said nothing as she inserted them into the front door's lock.

Sora relaxed, coming to the conclusion that the keys had thankfully dried up during the night. He smiled in relief and continued to gaze towards his mother. He was very pleased she wasn't piecing together the fact he'd been out at sea during the previous night whilst she had been in bed.

After pushing open the door, Nikkou spun around to face her son, giving him an stumped, irritated expression when she saw he was still by the staircase. "Come on, Sora!" she huffed.

Deciding quickly not to keep her waiting any longer, Sora hurried across the room to where she stood. He avoided the darkened gaze being sent down to him as he advanced past Nikkou and out through the open door. The sound of birds chirping reached his ears, as if they were welcoming him to the outside world. He marched up to where the car was parked on the driveway and stood behind it, diverting his attention onto a particular house further up the quiescent street.

As he waited for Nikkou to step out of the house and lock the door, Sora thought about Kairi. She was probably asleep that moment (though he hoped she hadn't kept herself awake by crying after he'd returned her home). He was a little nervous about how she would feel when she would meet him that night, due to the agonizing fact Roxas had made them realize which related to him. One thing was for certain; Kairi was in for a few surprises about his appearance that night - which she would have still been due to receive, even if he'd been able to dress in his regular clothing.

There would also be some surprises approaching that would involve her own appearance. Sora knew they were waiting to take both of them aback.

After pulling her house key out from the lock, Nikkou exchanged it in her hand for the one for the car, then swung around to be looking at her vehicle. She stretched her arm towards it as she stepped down from the doorstep. With just two firm pushes on the button her thumb was on, she unlocked all four doors, making her way up hastily to the one for the driver's seat.

"In the car then, Sora," she demanded, pulling her door open. "And let's go."

* * *

There were no signs of improvement in the hospital's condition. There were still large cracks to be seen in the waiting room's white walls. The exterior had turned out to be just as poor, with tall scaffolding still towering alongside the crumbling grey brickwork. In fact, everything about the hospital looked as bad to Sora as when he had first visited it nearly a fortnight ago. Its sorry state left him wondering as he leaned back in his chair if anyone was bothering to make an effort to repair it.

He gazed around the room. Nikkou was sitting next to him with her head buried in a magazine. A few other people were seated in some of the other chairs. None of them paid any mind to him, as they were waiting for a doctor to call them to have their personal problems dealt with. Sora found he was the only child in the room with the exception of a fair-haired young toddler who was rocking restlessly in his seat, ignoring his haggard-looking mother as she tried to calm him down.

Desperate not to flashback to his first visit to the hospital that fortnight, Sora kept his mind busy with thoughts on what he had planned for Kairi. He was once again going to have to sneak quietly out of the house whilst his mother was asleep in bed. It wouldn't be any easier than it had been during the previous two nights, but if he could just make it out of the house again without waking her, then the late hours would be all his and Kairi's. He sincerely hoped the place he was going to take her to would put a smile on her face. They had to get there first, and he was beginning to wonder what would be the best meeting arrangements to make.

"Do you want a bar of chocolate or something from the shop?"

The racking in Sora's brain simmered down from the question Nikkou had just asked him. She was offering to pick him up some confectionary from the hospital's indoor shop. He was about to turn to face her and accept her offer - until something caught one of his eyes that made them both widen.

The chair he was sitting in was opposite the wall that had been on his right when he'd been admitted to the waiting room. He found himself staring through a large, square entranceway that had been built there, leading to a long corridor. It stretched away from the waiting room and out into the distance, passing several doors to other sections of the hospital on the way. What had caught Sora's interest was something silver and square-shaped that stood at the end of the corridor. It was too far away to be identified from where he was. If it was what he thought it would be, it would help him pass onto Kairi the arrangements he'd quickly decided to go with.

"Sora?"

Realizing his mother was waiting for an answer, Sora turned to face her and got up from his seat. "I'll go get one. D'you want anything?"

"Get me a Bubbly Pleasure," Nikkou said, suspecting nothing as she took some munny orbs out from her handbag, holding them out towards Sora. "Quick now."

Once he'd accepted the orbs from her, Sora strode briskly towards the entranceway to the corridor opposite them. He knew the indoor shop was around the corner at the end, having bought chocolate from there during visits to the hospital from years gone by. Passing through the large opening, he peered over his shoulder to see if his mother was watching him. He saw that she'd gone back to reading her magazine, which he was thankful for. Now he had less chance of her seeing what he would be doing at the end of the corridor.

Doctors, nurses and patients passed by as Sora made his way down the passageway. He hardly took any notice of them, nor did he heed what was written on the signs outside each of the doors he passed. His mind was solely focused on what stood at the end. As he drew nearer to it, a wide grin flashed across his face when he could see that it was exactly what he hoped it would be.

A public payphone.

Sora beamed at it as he continued to approach it, then looked down at the munny orbs in his hand. He had to remember to buy some chocolate from the shop before returning to his mother. He couldn't spend any of her munny on the phone call he intended to make, however, as she was sure to check how much he would bring back to her. Dropping all the orbs into one of the pockets on his trousers, he dove his hand into the other to pull out a single small orb. It was a good thing he'd decided to take some of his own munny with him after he'd changed into his clothes for the day.

As soon as he'd strode right up to the payphone, Sora lifted the receiver. A circular-shaped slot was in the top right-hand corner of the steel device, which he inserted the orb into. Hurriedly, he dialled the number for Kairi's house and held the receiver to his ear.

While he listened to the deep sound of buzzing that travelled from the other end of the line, Sora tensed up nervously. He was praying that he wasn't waking Kairi from sleep and driving her to answer her phone. His fear over how she would be feeling after the way their last outing had ended didn't help. To actually speak to her from the hospital wasn't what he intended to do. It was only now he was beginning to wonder whether he would be able to remain calm if she were to answer his call.

His worry was fortunately put to an end very quickly. The buzzing from the receiver stopped to be replaced by Kairi's voice - which happened to be the greeting she'd recorded for her phone's answering machine.

"Hello, thank you for calling the Mayor of Destiny Islands. We're sorry, but we can't take your call right now. Please leave a message and we'll get back to you. Thank you. Bye."

The recorded sound of her sweet voice was followed immediately by a short, high-pitched beep.

* * *

Nikkou was still holding the magazine open in front of her, but she couldn't help peering out of the corners of her eyes towards the fidgety young toddler. He was attracting her attention with his anxious whines as he tried to wander away. His mother was still looking flustered as she battled on to keep him from leaving his seat. Neither of them were aware they'd both gained a bit of sympathy from Nikkou.

She averted her eyes back onto her magazine so that nobody would notice her watching them. The way the child was behaving reminded her so much of when Sora was no bigger than he was. He would sometimes feel uneasy himself if she took him to a place he was not used to. Hospital waiting rooms would be one such place, and he would certainly attempt to venture away, putting her through a tiresome test to keep him from leaving his seat. It felt like only the day before when her beautiful son had been so small - and Nikkou was devastated that the following day was possibly his last one.

The pain which Sora's cancer had put her through for so long started to seep through her heart. It was endeavouring to take over her emotions, but as she sensed someone approaching which drove her to raise her head, she smiled softly when she saw it was her baby boy. Her eyes managed to keep back the tears that were trying to build into them, noticing the two bars of wrapped chocolate in his hands. "You got them then?" she murmured.

Sora nodded. He held one of the bars out towards Nikkou. He couldn't sense that she'd just briefly been in agony over him as she lowered the magazine to take the bar from him. Slumping back into his chair, he held the second one out in front of him. It was a bar of Bubbly Pleasure, which happened to be one of his mother's favourite brands of chocolate. He'd just bought the two bars from the hospital's shop - straight after leaving a message of Kairi's answering machine. He'd passed the meeting arrangements onto her, so now all he had to do was get through the rest of the day before sneaking out to meet her that night.

"Can I have my change please, Sora?"

Immediately in response to Nikkou's request, Sora's hand plunged into his pocket to dig out the remainder of the munny she'd given him. She wouldn't find that he'd brought her back an amount too little, as he'd only spent her cash on the chocolate. After dropping the orbs in her hand, he took hold of one end of his bar's aluminium wrapping, preparing to tear it open so that he could fill his mouth with the bubbly chocolate taste.

"Sora!"

The unexpected sound of Doctor Mizu's voice calling his name filled the waiting room. It stopped Sora from opening his chocolate, which he knew was now going to have to wait. Turning towards his grave mother, he surrendered the bar to her, which disappeared with hers into her handbag. Nikkou stood and dropped the magazine onto the small table in front of them. As he gazed silently up at her, Sora lifted himself to his feet and began to follow her. He lightly patted the spot on his upper arm where the cancerous lump had been and the dressing had been applied on his birthday. Though he wasn't happy to be at the hospital, he was thoroughly ready to have the dressing removed.

Mizu was waiting for them in front of the doorway at the back of the waiting room, dressed in his white uniform as usual. His brown eyes behind his glasses fell onto Sora as he approached him with Nikkou. He looked a little surprised to see the boy in brighter clothes compared to the ones he wore during his last visits, but kept any thoughts he had to himself as he smiled at them both. "Good morning."

"Morning." Sora was not even looking at Mizu as he answered in a low voice.

Turning away from the mother and son, Mizu guided them through the doorway and down the long corridor beyond it. The several doors leading to more of the hospital's rooms flew by on each side. Memories of the terrible day when he had first been taken down the corridor began to haunt Sora's mind.

"You ready to have your dressing off, Sora?" Mizu asked.

"Yes," Sora muttered, wondering why the doctor was asking him a question which surely had an obvious answer.

"That's good. Hey, it's a really lovely day, isn't it?"

Sora frowned towards the man he was following. He had a suspicion Mizu was putting on a cheerful act to avoid having to mention that he was likely to lose his life in two days. He looked up towards Nikkou to find out if she was seeing right through him. She was a little ahead of him, so all he was getting was her long brunette hair instead of her expression.

Mizu came to a stop outside one of the doors on the right, leading Sora and Nikkou to do the same. It was its familiar, horrible brown colour - rather than the sign nailed onto it - which told the boy that it led to his office. As the doctor pushed it open, Sora peered through it to take in the room they were about to enter. It was exactly the way it had been on the heartbreaking day he'd first set foot in there. There the four brown walls (looking as ugly as ever), the bed which he had been lying on for Mizu to examine his lump - and the chairs he and Nikkou had been sitting in when they had been delivered the grievous news that he had cancer.

"Come on in then," Mizu said, stepping into the room and holding the door open for them.

"Go on, Sora," Nikkou urged.

After taking a glance up at her, Sora hesitantly stepped through the doorway and into the unpleasant atmosphere of Mizu's office. The room did not feel anymore welcoming now that he was standing inside. He turned to blankly watch Nikkou as she paced in after him. She looked just as uncomfortable to be surrounded by the four hideous, brown walls as he did.

With his patient now in the room with his mother, ready to have his dressing removed, Mizu pushed the door firmly shut behind them.

* * *

**And so, Sora goes to have his dressing removed. And as the story draws closer to its end, so does the answer of whether he will live or die...**

**There are few hints here as to what sort of outing he has planned next for Kairi. But exactly what it will turn out to be, you'll wait to wait until the next chapter!**


	63. Midnight of Mysteries

**Blimey, this was a hard chapter to write! It took me forever to do and I ended it earlier than I intended, thinking it was dragging out a bit. I hope the result is okay and it leaves you eager to read the next one.**

* * *

Kairi was feeling horrible all over.

Although over three hours had gone by since she'd stirred from her sleep, she still hadn't left her bedroom since disappearing into it that morning, nor had she even gotten to her feet to flip the light switch on the wall. She was laying weakly on the duvet of her bed, surrounded by the pitch blackness which filled her room completely. Resting next to her on its back with its head against the pillow was her teddy bear. She could just make out its small shape in the darkness, and with her hand idling on it, she was feeling how soft it was. Above her, the curtains were drawn across the window. They were blocking the moonlight from entering the bleak, dreary atmosphere of her room.

Kairi ran her thumb lightly over the bear's front. Not even her precious gift from her best friend could lift her spirits. Despite having slept throughout the entire day, she was still feeling very exhausted, as well as deeply distraught. The heart-shattering ending to her last outing with Sora was continuing to torture her. All she'd been able think about since waking up was the possibility he and Roxas were both facing of losing their lives in only two days. Not a word had been uttered that night from either herself or Naminé. Kairi was certain that her Nobody was just as broken as she was, but she didn't have the energy to so much as ask her if she was okay.

What was only just managing to cross her mind was the fact it was now a very late hour in the night. It Sora would be knocking her door soon if it was. When bringing her home that morning, he had made it clear before their happiness had been fractured that he had yet another surprise planned for her. No matter how much of an enervated state her body was in, she was going to have to get herself ready to go out again.

With a weary groan, she lifted herself up and stood heavily on her feet. She trudged through the darkness towards her bedroom door, leaving behind the bear and the softness of her bed. The hallway outside was in just as much of a lightless atmosphere as she pulled the door open. It didn't bother her, though, as she was still able to make her way perfectly across the landing to the top of the staircase. She began to make her way down, not needing any illumination to see how far she was from the lower floor.

Once she'd made it to the foot of the staircase, the first thing she did was flip the light switch near the front door. Light from the ceiling lamp instantly drove away all the darkness in the lounge. Now that there was brightness in her house for the first time that night, Kairi turned around. She was feeling hungry after sleeping through the whole day. She began to sluggishly drag herself in the direction of the kitchen doorway, intending to make herself a late night breakfast.

She only got as far as the couch, however, when something caught her tired eye.

A tiny green light was blinking on the telephone, indicating there was a new message on the answering machine. Kairi was surprised by this. Somebody had obviously tried to call while she had been asleep, and it seemed she'd slept on while it had been had been ringing, undisturbed. She wondered if it had been a friend, wanting to check on her - or just somebody trying to contact her father.

Lifting a heavy hand, Kairi pressed down on the phone's button that used for activating the answering machine's message bank.

An emotionless female voice droned out from the phone. "You have one new message."

The moment the voice stopped speaking, a more familiar one suddenly filled the room, resulting in Kairi's energy being lifted to a slightly higher level by her astonishment.

"Hey, Kairi, it's Sora. I really hope you're okay..." There was a brief pause. "I'm still gonna take you out for your surprise tonight. So can you come down at midnight to the beach on the main island to meet me? If you can't get there that time, just come down there when you're ready. I'll be waiting for you, ready to take you out for your next surprise." His voice softened, making himself sound as if his lips had been curled into a smile while the last few words had gotten out. "Okay. Bye, Kairi."

The sound of the boy hanging up the receiver escaped the phone's speakers, ending the message. The dispassionate female voice returned to state the time it had been left that day, but Kairi was not paying any attention to it. She was too bewildered by a piece of what she'd just listened to.

Part of Sora's message was replaying inside her head; when he had asked her to meet him on the beach at midnight. Why did he want her to do that? He had collected from her house over the past two nights, so she was a little dumbfounded that he wanted to meet out in the dark opening, away from their street. It was also mystifying that he'd asked for them to meet in the same part of the island he'd take her to the night before. Was the sea to play part in tonight's surprise, as it had done the previous night?

Knowing she would find out later on, Kairi turned back towards the kitchen doorway. She headed towards it a little quicker than before. The message Sora had left her about the forthcoming event had enlivened her tired body up a little. Breakfast was no longer the main reason she was heading to the kitchen; it was due to the fact it was the only room in the lower level of her house that had a clock.

Once she had passed through the doorway and lifted the nearby light switch, Kairi peered up to where the clock was hanging on one of the four illuminated walls. Alarm burst into her widening eyes when she saw the time. It was twenty past eleven, leaving her with only forty minutes until the time Sora hoped to meet up with her. Although he had assured her in the message that she was free to leave her house later than midnight, she didn't want to keep him waiting.

Frantically, she threw open the refrigerator's door to pull out a carton of eggs. She left it on the worktop before taking some cooking utensils out of the floor cupboard, wishing she had pulled herself off of her bed the moment she had woken up that day.

* * *

The posh estate at the edge of the island was as quiet and tranquil as it had been the night before. The streetlamps were doing their best again to light up the dimmed atmosphere, but the glows from their bulbs were not strong enough to keep the houses from being nothing more than enormous, silent silhouettes. Most the residents inside were back in their beds, slumbering peacefully after going about their businesses through the day. A few were still yet to retire to their rooms, but even they were unaware that someone was outside, passing their homes to head down to the beach for a second night in a row.

An owl glided soundlessly over the houses' roofs. It was on the lookout for any tiny pray it could find during the dusky hours. Down on the ground, a cat scurried across a section of the winding path, unintentionally startling the human it was racing out in front of. Sora quickly recovered from his fright as the animal disappeared in between two of the houses on his left, then he continued to make his way down the path. The everlasting sound of the waves lapping onto the beach reached him, exactly like they had done when he and Kairi had walked though the estate during the previous night.

Sora was still in the bright clothes he had put on that morning. He'd kept them concealed whilst pretending to be asleep under his bed until after his mother had gone to bed. As she had been very tired when they'd returned home from Night Sky, he'd waited for less than an hour for her to fall asleep. He'd succeeded once again to slip out of the house without waking her. Managing to do so had rewarded him with another batch of hours he would ensure Kairi would thoroughly enjoy.

Once he'd made it to the fencing at the far end of the estate, Sora passed through the opening which the path had led him to, walking out once again onto the sand of the beach. The waves were still gushing nosily onto the shore whilst a full moon had returned to a starry sky, reflected in the ocean far below. Sora gazed around as he trudged a little to his left. As it had been the night before, the beach was very dark and vacant. Without Kairi there, it felt a little lonely to be there at such a late hour, but he knew that was soon to change. It was only a short matter of time before he'd see the beautiful sight of her again, and he would immediately take to the place that was to make her happy.

Standing in the middle of the beach, he raised his left arm to look at the only extra item he'd put on since the morning; a digital watch. He'd found it in his room that night and strapped it to his wrist to keep track of the time. The atmosphere was too bleak for him to see the time displayed, but with a press of one of its tiny buttons, the entire face was lit up in a blue glow. He could now read that the time was twenty to twelve. He had to get what he needed to do done before midnight in case that was to be the earliest time Kairi would probably arrive.

Sora turned to where the rowing boats belonging to him and his friends were lined up in a row. They were still at the back of the beach - and so was the raft, right where he and Kairi had left it. He walked over to where it stood loftily next to his boat, which he took one of the oars out of. He placed it down onto the flat surface of the raft's base. It was what he needed to do another task of job the raft through the sea. He lifted it up at its one end, beginning to push it down towards the shore.

As he trudged forward, sliding the raft along the sand, Sora peered past the enormous sail in front of him. He saw his destination standing out in the sea, still highly visible as always within the dark atmosphere. It was the smaller island, and he needed to be on before Kairi would arrive. Rowing to it across the sea would take him about five or ten minutes.

How he intended to travel back to the main island would take much less time.

* * *

Over at her house, Kairi was frantically doing her best to make herself look presentable. Time was ticking by so fast with minutes until midnight rapidly running out. Many of them had just been spent in the bathroom, where she had splashed a lot of cold water over her face to both wash and keep herself enlivened. Now she was back in her bedroom with the ceiling lamp glowing above her. She was standing in front of her dressing mirror with a hairbrush in hand. It was being dragged wildly through her red hair, keeping it free of any tangles and knots. She didn't want Sora to see her with a messy appearance.

Her mad brushing didn't last much longer, for her reflection showed that her hair was as perfectly straight as always. She whirled around to drop the brush onto her bedroom desk, where a watch she'd taken from her father's room was sitting. It was grasped furiously in her hand to be held up in front of her face. Her eyes widened when she saw the time was ten to twelve. There were even less minutes to go and she was still in the house! She was going to have to start making her way down to the beach, as she was still reluctant to keep Sora waiting for her beyond twelve o'clock.

Kairi hurled the watch away to land back onto her desk, then disappeared hurriedly out through the bedroom door, switching off the light on her way. Her hand tapped her pouch as she dashed across the landing to the staircase. She could feel her house key inside, which she was glad to still have on her. She was going to have to make sure to secure her house again before journeying off into the night to meet up with her hero.

It didn't take Kairi long to descend the stairs (she even look a leap over the last two from the bottom). Pacing up to her front door, she pulled her key out of her pouch to insert it into the lock. One hand agilely twisted it around whilst the other hit the nearby light switch to send the lounge back into darkness.

The instant the door was unlocked, she flung it open. She made sure to pull her key clear of the lock as she stepped forward to stand in the bedimmed outside world. Whipping around on her doorstep, she pulled the door shut behind her and locked it back up. The air felt a little warmer than it had over the previous nights. It had made the atmosphere rather humid, bringing a frown to Kairi's face as she shot fleetly down her garden path towards the gateway.

As she stepped out onto the sidewalk, the girl turned right in readiness to sprint down to the end of the street - only to suddenly freeze. She gazed around at the sleeping houses and parked cars that were all shrouded in the darkness. It felt very strange to be out at such a late hour without Sora to accompany her. She had left her home a few times over her fortnight of surprises to meet him elsewhere, but never once while the entire island was asleep. Walking through the night with him had been part of the fun of their last two outings. For this night, however, she was going to be on her own as she would make her way down to the beach - where Sora was surely waiting for her now, completely by himself in the pitch blankness.

Kairi advanced on down the sidewalk. She passed briskly under the light of a nearby streetlamp and proceeded to scud down towards the end of the street. She wouldn't be alone for much longer. Once she would arrive at the beach, she would be in the company of the handsome boy she was anxious to see.

* * *

The waves were as noisy as always. They sounded like they were calling to Kairi as she hastened along the path through the posh estate. Her eagerness to meet up with Sora had risen immensely now that she was only a few paces away from where he would be. She couldn't see much of the beach yet, as the huge silhouette of the house accompanied by the sycamore tree was ahead of her, blocking her view of her destination. Before them was the spot where the path split. She quickly reached it and turned left to round the two obstructions.

It was when the beach came into view that she came to a halt. Her expression fell over what was in view.

Through the darkness, she could see the acres of sand that the tide had been unable to reach - but Sora was nowhere to be seen. The part of the island where he'd asked to meet up with her was completely deserted. It left Kairi very stumped, as it was not the sort of surprise she'd been expecting. She'd been certain Sora would be there, waiting for her.

With confusion now built up inside her head, Kairi proceeded down the path more slowly. She drew nearer to the beach, taking in all its vacuity with her bewildered eyes. The elegance of the moon shimmering above the sea with the stars was taking no effect on her. She was trying to piece together a reasonable guess as to why Sora was not where she was expecting to see him.

Kairi tried to keep herself from panicking as she passed through the opening in the fence which the path had led her to. She took a few steps across the sand, too deep in her thoughts to take in any of the beauty around her. It was plausible that Sora had not left his house yet. Perhaps he was still in the middle of attempting to sneak out of it without waking Nikkou up. Kairi had to remind herself that slipping out of his house over the last few nights - purely for her - had been challenging for him. She had not needed to creep past her father and avoid disturbing him to be able to go out. She was doubtful that she would have succeeded to sneak past him once, let alone three nights in a row.

The girl slowly turned around. Her intention was to keep an eye out for him in the estate behind her. She was quickly distracted from her motive, as she realized in surprise that something else was missing from the beach.

In front of the fencing, the rowing boats were all there - but a big empty space was on the right side of Sora's. The raft was not where she and the boy had left it. In fact, it was nowhere Kairi looked. She was baffled that the wooden creation, which she and Sora had definitely left on the edge of the island, had mysteriously disappeared.

Glowering, Kairi marched up towards the space where the raft had been - and stopped with widening eyes, having just made yet another discovery of something missing. She could see there was only one oar inside Sora's boat. It wasn't accompanied by the other one, which made the thinking gears inside her head grind harder. This had to be connected with the disappearance of the raft. Perhaps someone had come across it during the day and decided to row it out to sea? That seemed like a rational explanation, although it appeared they hadn't returned it to the main island.

Where in the world was it now? Kairi prayed that if somebody really had taken their raft for a sail without their permission, they were not still out at sea in the dark.

_Unless ... what if it wasn't just anyone who took it?_ she thought. _What if it was-_

She turned her attention back to the sea, her frown deepening over the bizarre judgement she'd just come up with. It certainly couldn't be true! Surely!

She could hardly believe that Sora would have taken their raft and was now rowing it across the ocean by himself. It was a rather absurd idea that had to be false. If Sora had really wanted to repeat what they had done the night before, but with no company, then why would he have asked her to meet him on the beach? He'd assured her the night before that he intended to take her on another surprise. That was the reason why she was out of her house while the rest of the island was asleep. Je wouldn't have told her he had something planned for the two of them, only to go off and do something else for his own amusement. That wasn't like him at all.

Although was it truly the trouble he was going through that was delaying him from getting to the beach? Was he really in the middle of sneaking through his house to leave it and meet her? Maybe there was a different reason behind why he wasn't present. What if Nikkou had caught him trying to slip out? There was no doubt she would be angry with him and keep him from going out to meet her...

A sudden noise in the distance caught Kairi's ears, driving her out of her worrying thoughts. Her eyes widened, glittering with curiosity as she listened. It was nothing like the calm, peaceful noise the waves made. Contrarily, it was a very boisterous noise, piercingly endlessly through the tranquil night air. It sounded suspiciously like a turbine running.

It also sounded like it was coming from the smaller island, which was where Kairi peered towards, spotting the source instantly. A small shape had just emerged from the side of it on her right. It was flying a few metres above the sea's surface, casting a white beam of light downwards. Although it was too far away in the dark for Kairi to identify what it was, it appeared to be approaching the main island. It slowly soared over the water, the noise it was giving off reaching the her from where it was.

As she curiously watched the mysterious object approach, Kairi's mind raced even faster than before. She was certain that it had to be a type of aircraft. That would explain the type of sound it made and why it appeared to be flying, as well as how it was able to emit a ray of light below it. What she couldn't understand was why it was flying so low above the water. Was it looking for something floating on the surface? It didn't seem likely as it was flying in a straight line. Not only that, but had it simply jetted around the smaller island - or had it made a landing there and just lifted off from there? None of it made sense to her.

At least not for the moment, but there was far more to the approaching aircraft than she realized.

The flying vessel was about halfway between the two islands when Kairi turned away from it and to her right. She had set her sight onto the nearby wooden pier which stood a little further down on the beach. Although longer than the one on the smaller island, it wasn't as wide. It didn't seem a suitable spot for aircraft to land. Whether or not that was the pilot's intention, she didn't know.

The growing sound of the engine diverted her attention to where the craft was now. She spotted it still soaring over the sea with its light continuing to shoot downwards - and her face lit up with great astonishment. Now that it was only a few yards away from the pier, she was able to see what it looked like more clearly. Its actual size and shape - which she could take in from where she was - were all she needed to realize it wasn't just any aircraft.

It was the Gummi Ship that Donald and Goofy had built for her and her friends during their visit to Disney Castle.

Kairi grinned brightly. She knew exactly who was in the pilot's seat, flying at this late hour.

With excitement rising back up inside her, she charged swiftly along the sand and towards the pier. The majority of the questions crammed inside her head had just been answered. All the puzzlement she'd felt had disappeared without a trace. As she reached the wooden staircase at the side of the pier, she scooted up it quickly to be standing on the flat wooden surface.

She turned to her left with the grin still on her face, just in time to see the Gummi Ship touch down on the end (proving it was small enough to make a landing there). The noise of the turbines running began to die down as they were switched off from inside. The glow on the front continued to shimmer downwards, spread out on the wooden planks before it. There was no light on the other side on the windshield, so the cockpit was in pitch blackness. Kairi wasn't able see much inside it although she managed to catch some movements from behind it.

They appearance to be the pilot, waving to her.

Beaming as brightly as the ship's light, she happily waved in return before whisking down the pier. The planks clumped nosily under her soles. She charged up towards the right side of the Gummi Ship, stopping by its door just as it began to slide open.

Kairi peered excitedly through the widening gap to see the person standing on the other side of the door - and gaped in surprise up at him when he came into view.

As she'd expected, Sora was standing before her on the inside. What she hadn't expected was to see him in different clothes, most of which brighter than his usual ones. She peered up and down to take in the blue hooded jacket and baggy jeans before sending a small smile to the boy wearing them.

"You look different," she mused.

Sora snickered. "Couldn't come out in my regular clothes! They're still soaked after last night!" He gazed softly down at her, still concerned over how she was feeling after the way their previous outing had ended. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Kairi nodded, then heartily surveyed the aircraft which the boy was standing in. "So this is why you wanted to meet me out here!"

"It's the only way I can take you to your next surprise!"

Kairi's eyes sparkled with delight. "You mean we're going to another world?"

"You bet!" Sora grinned broadly. "It's not gonna be just any world, though. There's something really special about this one."

The princess' smile softened. Any world which Sora would decide to take her to was sure to have something special about it. Visiting Disney Castle had led them to become king and queen for a day while Twilight Town had given them a chance to have their photographs taken at beautiful landmarks. Both worlds had also helped them to be reunited with some of their old friends.

"You ready to go?"

A hand extended before her. Unusually, there was no black fingerless glove pulled over it, but it was still the hand of the boy who had done so much for her. Kairi's face glowed. She took his hand in hers and allowed herself to be pulled into the Gummi Ship. She was indeed all ready to find out what was special about the next world they were going to visit.

With his passenger now aboard, Sora pulled the sliding door shut. The darkness inside the ship surrounded him and Kairi. Paying no mind to it, he nodded towards the three seats behind the control desk and marched over to them with the girl in tow.

"So you'll be able to fly us out of here again?" Kairi asked as Sora's hand slipped out of hers. "Even in the dark?"

Sora smirked at her. "I'm a pretty pro Gummi Ship pilot!" he joked. "I spent days flying around with Donald and Goofy from world to world, so getting out of this one in the dark will be no sweat!" He settled down in the pilot's seat, pointing to a small switch on the control desk. "It's a good thing I found out how to activate the landing light."

"Yeah, but is there a light to go on in here?" Kairi eyed the ceiling above them, lifting a hand to press against the Gummi blocks in hope of finding a button or a switch. "'Cause it's awfully dark in here."

"I don't think there's one," Sora answered, peering towards her from his seat. "There isn't a bulb or anything up there. I guess Donald and Goofy didn't think to add one in here."

Kairi's fumbling quickly proved Sora wrong.

The next Gummi block she pressed against suddenly rose up into the ceiling. Startled, she quickly lowered her arm, but the block did not come back down. That was all she needed to realize she had activated something on the ship. Hoping it was not going to led to anything drastic, she nervously gazed up at the hole where the block had been to see a small object being lowered into its place.

As soon as it was in position, the whole interior of the ship was suddenly filled with light.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. He was surprised to see his surroundings illuminated instead of engulfed with darkness. His eyes widened, but remained fixed onto Kairi.

Above her, a circular bulb was in the place of the block she had pushed upwards, glowing radiantly.

Kairi grinned. "Looks like they _did_ decide to fit a light in here, actually!"

"Good find, Kairi!" Sora beamed up at her. "Now sit yourself down, strap yourself in - and leave me to do all the rest!"

All the euphoria she was feeling poured into Kairi's uplifting expression as she took the empty seat on the left of Sora's. She quickly strapped herself in with the safety belt, watching as he did the same before tapping away at the buttons on the control desk. A few bleeping sounds escaped from it - then the turbines began to hum into life. They hauled the ship upwards and off the wood of the pier, managing to also lift the girl's delight.

Grabbing hold of the joystick, Sora tilted it left, resulting the hovering ship rotating around in the air. Kairi watched through the windshield as the beach drifted out of view, quickly replaced by the boundless miles of ocean. The vessel stopped turning once it was completely facing away from the land. The silhouette of the smaller island could be seen up ahead, faced by the airship which had just flown away from it.

Sora was clutching the joystick upwards. His hands tightened around it as he prepared to pull it back and send the Gummi Ship elevating out of their home world. "Ready for take off, Kairi?"

The girl gave him an eager nod of her head. "Ready, Captain!"

With just one firm tug on its joystick, the Gummi Ship began to ascend, drawing away from the main island. The turbines buzzed louder as they lifted it upward into the air. Two pairs of excited eyes watched from behind the windshield. They were able to see deeper into the empty horizon, for the ship was carrying them high up above the sea, further and further with each second. They also managed to catch a glimpse of the smaller island just before they rocketed over it. To their great amusement, it had appeared to be even smaller from where they were.

Kairi turned to grin at Sora. She was ecstatic that they were off on another outing together in a different part of the universe. What sort of world she was being taken to, she didn't know. What she was sure of was it had to be another of beauty and merriment. Disney Castle and Twilight Town had been, so wherever the boy was taking her to now would be no exception.

She couldn't wait to see it. She were bound to be in for another wonderful night outing.

_Just wonderful as my other outings,_ she thought zestfully, _that I've been on with this wonderful boy here._

* * *

"I was gonna row my boat out to the island to get the ship, but then I realized it would be stuck there all night, since we're gonna be landing back on the main island when we come home. So I thought it would be best to row the raft back out there."

"I was wondering where the raft went when I got there!"

Almost half an hour had gone by since the Gummi Ship had left Destiny Islands behind. It was soaring agilely through the blue universe, passing several spread out stars along the way. Kairi was sitting back comfortably in her seat. Her interest had been divided away from the amazing outside atmosphere and onto Sora. Whilst concentrating on flying the ship, he had just explained the answer to the mystery of the disappearing raft to her.

"Were you waiting there for me long?" he asked, eyes glued to the windshield.

"Not really. I was just stumped when I got down there and saw that you weren't there." Kairi chuckled. "I wondered if your mom had caught you trying to sneak out."

Sora glanced at her with a dry laugh. "Sorry, Kairi. I should've said in the voicemail I left you not to worry if I wasn't there. My aim was to try and get the ship there before you would arrive, but I waited a bit longer than I meant to for Mom to drop off."

"It's okay. At least you're here now." With a small giggle, Kairi tilted her head curiously. "Where did you make that call from, Sora? Did you do it from your house while your mom was upstairs or something?"

The soft grin on Sora's face was wiped away. His mouth hung open as he peered towards her from the corners of his eyes, still flying the ship forward. All the jubilation he was feeling chanced to dread. She wasn't going to like the answer to her question, as it would lead them into a subject they had inadvertently avoided talking about.

With no other choice but to tell her, Sora tensed up his body and swallowed. "No, Kairi ... I called you from the hospital."

At the instant mention of where he'd made the phone call from, the girl's peppy mood fell. She was aghast that she hadn't mentioned the hospital since meeting up with him, which should have been one of the first things she'd asked him about. She wondered if he'd deliberately shied away from the subject so as not to upset her. It was something she had to know about, and she felt angry with herself for not thinking to bring it up sooner.

"Kairi?" Sora cried, already fretting over how the topic they'd fallen into was affecting her spirits. He glanced through the windshield to make sure they weren't about to fly into any obstructions, but turned his head completely towards the girl to face her in all his concern.

"How did your visit to the hospital go, Sora?"

Easily detecting Kairi's sadness within the question she'd just asked him, the boy's heart sunk. "We weren't in there long," he explained dolefully, "but the doctor did get the dressing off my arm."

"Do you have a scar now?" Kairi asked, leaning towards him in her chair.

Sora felt a knot being tied inside his stomach. The girl seemed to want to see where the cancerous lump had been on his arm, which Doctor Mizu had pulled the dressing free of that day. The first thing he'd noticed as soon as soon as it was off was there was indeed a scar there from his operation. Showing it to Kairi was probably not a good idea. The sight of it was likely to upset her even further.

"Do you?" Kairi tilted her head, eyes locked towards where Sora's upper right arm was.

It was clear she definitely did want to see his scar. There was no way out of it. She was just going to sit there and wait patiently for him to show it to her. Sora couldn't understand why she wanted to look at a reminder of his cancer, but refusing to let her had somehow become impossible.

Taking his left hand off of the joystick, he began to roll up the long sleeve of his blue hooded jacket, exposing his lower arm to the light. The knot in his stomach began to tighten in his fear. Once the cuff had passed his elbow and drew near to his shoulder, he felt the thinner sleeve of the t-shirt he was wearing underneath. He hooked his fingers around it, then pulled the two sleeves all the way up and over his shoulder. With his entire right arm now bared, he stretched it towards Kairi whilst clasping his left hand back around the joystick, turning away from her in his terror.

Kairi stared at his upper right arm, taking in what was in place where the cancerous lump had been.

A thin red line embedded within his skin was there. It was a sign of the vital operation he'd been through on his birthday. It wasn't a grotesque sight, like the lump had been, but it still managed to get her emotions building up inside her. Bewildering thoughts of how Sora had caught cancer a fortnight ago were taking over her mind again - and the likelihood of the following night being the last she'd have with him was ripping her heart to shreds. Tears gathered in her eyes as they remained anchored to the scar.

Though he didn't notice she was about to cry, Sora quickly withdrew his arm and pulled the sleeves back down. He didn't want her to look at the scar for long and quickly decided it would be best to move the subject forward. "And then me and Mom went to Night Sky in the evening," he said hurriedly. "I told her what a wonderful time the two of us had when we were there."

As a smile crept across Kairi's face at the memory of going to the beautiful restaurant with Sora, a tear ran down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away. "That's nice," she murmured.

How quietly she'd spoken alarmed Sora, so he turned to face her - and his jaw hung open when he saw her eyes were flooded with tears. His instantly became angry with himself, believing the emotional condition she was in was down to him. He wished he'd been more stubborn and refused to let her see his scar. He took another glance through the windshield to certify he wasn't about to fly into anything, then lifted his left hand to place it gently onto Kairi's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked in quiet, worried voice.

Perking her head up, Kairi locked gazes with the indulgent boy sat next to her. Her wounded heart overflowed with her undying love for him while her tears rolled down her cheeks. She made no effort to hide them. Sora could see the state she was in, so trying to keep it from him would be useless. Lifting a hand, she pressed it firmly down onto the one on her shoulder. She was highly relishing the soft feeling of Sora's hand, never wanting it to leave it go.

"Kairi, don't cry," Sora whimpered sadly. He wanted to wipe her tears away, but with his one hand clutching the joystick and the other under hers, he couldn't. So instead, he ran his thumb gently over her shoulder. "Please don't cry, I'm right here."

Kairi sniffled and smiled. "It's okay, Sora. Just concentrate on flying the ship."

"I'm not gonna leave you feeling like this. I hate seeing my best friend sad." Sora knew his words were making no change to her feelings, leading him to feel useless and pathetic. "Please don't cry, Kairi. I'm right here for-"

He stopped near the end of his sentence, never to finish it. His eyes were no longer on the crying girl and were instead on the windshield before them. He'd meant to simply take another quick glance through it - but something on the other side of the glass had caught his attention. His head had turned completely away from Kairi so he could peer out into the universe outside, his mouth hanging slightly agape.

Kairi blinked, bemused over seeing him get distracted by something. Keeping her hand on his, she turned to look out through the windshield, her eyes widening when she spotted what had attracted his.

If what was a few yards away on their right, a little below their ship's flying level, happened to be a world, then its outer appearance wasn't anything like she could have imagined one to be. It resembled an enormous jack-o'-lantern; a pumpkin with triangular holes at the top and a long crooked gap lower down, giving the image of a sinister, sneering face. On top and beneath, however, were two sights Kairi never expected to see on a jack-o'-lantern. Sticking out from under it were dark shapes that she couldn't recognise from where she was while the top of it seemed to be overlaid with snow. There were a few tall red buildings on it, their roofs all covered in snow as well. Alongside the right of them was a short pine tree. It was the only sight standing within the snow-covered area that didn't have any shrouding it.

Sora slipped his hand out from under Kairi's, clamping it back onto the joystick so as to thrust it in the angle the world was at. A large grin widened across his face. "There's your surprise right there, Kairi!"

"_There?_" the girl exclaimed in disbelief. She gawked up at Sora with a flabbergasted expression, lost as to why her surprise was in a world with a monstrous look.

"Oh right..." The response he'd received made Sora realize that the jack-o'-lantern-like appearance of the world was taking an effect on Kairi's impression of it. His grin shrunk to an assuring smile as he turned to face her. "I know it looks creepy on the outside - but trust me, there is something wonderful here. Something which none of the other worlds have!"

Kairi's gaze softened with curiosity. She wondered what was so unique about this world, apart from the fact it gave a slightly frightening image to the rest of the universe. "What's that then, Sora?"

"That's exactly what your surprise is." Sora pushed a button on the control panel, sending the ship into descend mode. "You'll see, Kairi. Beyond that freakish-looking face lies something very magical."

As the aircraft started to slope down with its turbines hissing loudly, a smile found its away onto Kairi's face. She trusted Sora's words. No matter what the world looked like on the outside, it was sure to be as amazing as he was making it sound. She turned back to the windshield to watch the world grow bigger as they flew down towards it. Its jack-o'-lantern appearance didn't scare her. She was perfectly prepared to go through its smirking face and find out what awaited her.

"Oh, by the way, Kairi..."

"Yes?" Kairi answered without looking away from their destination.

"One more thing I should mention about the world is ... it's gonna change our appearances."

"_What?_"

It was the second time for Kairi to become abashed over learning what she was in for.

Her head shot back into Sora's direction. Her jaw had fallen as far as it could go whilst her stunned eyes broadened. She was surprised already. Being taken to a world which gave off a creepy image had seemed a strange enough idea - but finding out it could alter the looks of herself and Sora left her more staggered than before.

"What d'you mean it's gonna change our appearances?" she asked in her bewilderment. "It can't seriously do that, can it?"

"Only while we're there," Sora explained. "Some worlds do that to their visitors so that they'll bend in."

"Blend in?"

"To fit in. It happened to me, Donald and Goofy when we visited a few of these worlds. How we'd change would depend on the type of environment we'd be in." Sora turned to look out through the windshield, finding that the snow-covered jack-o'-lantern was now right in front of the ship. "This is one such world that does that. But don't worry, Kairi; we'll be right back to our normal selves when we leave."

The boy tapped another button on the control desk, bringing the ship out of descend mode and flying it straight ahead. Kairi watched agitatedly as the creepy-looking face on the other side of the glass slowly came nearer. It sneered devilishly at them. Her conversed impression on the world had reverted back to her first one. Perhaps the inside atmosphere really did match how it looked from the outside. Her stomach tightened queasily. She was worried that its jack-o'-lantern appearance was a sign of what the world was like.

She couldn't imagine anything magical existing in such a place.

Sora was taking her here out of the kindness of his heart, which she highly appreciated - but whether her views on it would match those of his, she wasn't sure.

* * *

**I need not say the name of the world Sora is taking Kairi to. You could probably tell just by reading how it looks like on the outside. So the real cliff-hangers are: **

**1.) What does Sora intend for them to do there?**

**2.) Will Kairi end up enjoying herself?**

**3.) What is she going to end up looking like, since she's never been there before?**

**All will be explained in the next chapter. :)**


	64. Eerie World

**Sorry for the long wait on this chapter, guys. It's a bit of a short length compared to the last chapter, so I hope it's still okay.**

* * *

While the outside appearance of the jack-o'-lantern-like world was mostly a vibrant orange, there were hardly any bright colours to be seen within its atmosphere. The entire land was shadowed in grim darkness - as it always had for as long as it had existed.

Dismal and ominous-looking, the world was set at a tenebrous night which seemed to go on forever and ever. An enormous full moon was looming up in the cloudy sky, feeding its light down to the terrains below. All of their gloomy nature was revealed in what radiation there was. No matter how dark the world was, its cheerless sightings couldn't be disguised in the moonlight.

Part of the small amount of illumination went to an old graveyard. It was located along a granite footpath that ran through some craggy fields with dead grass. Crosses and tombstones of different sizes were standing within it. All of them were a dull grey colour with moss spouting from them in different places. Stone walls barricaded the graveyard off from the fields while a pair of iron gates stood chained together on a slightly higher section of the ground. Towering over the graveyard at one end were three enormous buildings. The path led past them in order to guide its followers into the world's mysterious town.

If anyone were to take the path in the opposite direction, however, they would soon find themselves in the midst of a dark forest. It was brimming with hundreds of trees, but not a single one of them was alive. They were all bare with long, twisty branches that were devoid of leaves. They stood loftily in their gloomy environment - which had an unusual noise cutting through the air that night.

A small aircraft was hovering above the forest. It had just been soaring over the start tops of the trees and was now preparing to settle on the terrain. Below it was a wide-spaced glade, which was where it was casting the strong beam of its search light. It was preparing to touch down in the bleak forest, where it would look very out-of-place with its bright red colour.

Kairi had hardly taken in anything that was visible through the windshield, as she was too dumbfounded over what had just happened to her.

She was holding her hands up in front of her. Her jaw was hanging agape over how her nails were now suddenly longer and sharper. Her eyes were locked onto them, wide with horror - and their lids coated in a dark make-up. That would have been all she needed to be shocked over how the world could alter her image, yet it had gone as far as to change her clothing, too. Her minidress had been replaced by a black, velvet coat that hung down right to her ankles whilst on her feet black high-heeled ones that were barbed at their toe areas instead of her lilac shoes. Sitting on her head was a pointed hat that matched the coat. It had a disc made of orange plastic attached in one corner with a devilish jack-o'-lantern face displayed. It hadn't taken Kairi long to realize she was looking like a witch. To have her appearance change into this by magic was something that she never could have foreseen, and it had left her a little afraid to step out into the world she had just been brought to, due to any other unpleasant surprises that might be awaiting her.

.

"You alright, Kairi?"

Kairi turned away from her lengthened nails to peer up at Sora. She couldn't believe how calm he was when his image had changed even more dramatically than hers.

The world had forced the boy she loved to adopt the form of a vampire-like creature, clothing him almost entirely in black. The skin around his eyes had darkened, although only his left one was visible, as he was wearing a jack-o'-lantern mask over the right one. His canines - having lengthened and grown sharper - were sticking out through the smile on his face. In place of his hooded jacket was a black leather one with the material around the shoulders coloured grey, which wouldn't have been such a startling change if not for the small bat wings sticking out from the back. They really added more alarm to the state Kairi was in, as did the white gloves now on Sora's hands with their tips that were like claws. He was also wearing baggy trousers and a pair of black shoes with grey trim running across them each. The ends of his trousers hung a few inches away from his ankles, revealing that his legs were wrapped in red and black bandages. The only piece of his original clothing that had neither changed or disappeared was his chain necklace.

While keeping his hands gripped to the joystick in front of him, Sora tilted his head as he gazed at Kairi. "You're not worried about the way you look, are you?"

"It's just..." Kairi was finding it difficult to express how she truly felt about the world without offending Sora. "I never expected anything like this to happen ... I'm not being ungrateful or anything, but can you not understand my shock?"

"Of course I can." Sora's smile softened (though it still could not keep his canines from jutting out). "I had a bit of a shock myself when I first came here and changed into this. Donald and Goofy were the same, too, but it was all part of the norm when we were visiting these worlds that could change our appearances to fit in with them."

Inquisitiveness poured into Kairi's eyes. She was beginning to wonder what other types of strange forms Sora had taken on during the time he'd been away from her, journeying from world to world.

"I know this place looks kinda creepy, but I assure you, Kairi, I wouldn't have taken you here if it was really a horrible place. It may not look the sort of place where you'd expect find something wonderful and magical, but that's exactly what you're gonna see here tonight! Trust me."

Turning away from her, Sora pulled down a lever on the control board. The pitch of the hissing which escaped the turbines changed, then slowly, the Gummi Ship began to sink downwards. The bare tops of the trees were now creeping into view through the windshield. Sora kept his eyes fixed to the view outside. His full concentration was on making a safe landing in the forest. He was looking forward to trudging through it in order to find the entrance to the part of the world that he was sure would bring a smile to Kairi's face.

He was aware her first impression on the world was not very positive, which was perfectly understandable, as she hadn't been expecting it to make her look like a witch. It was clear she was feeling troubled over how she looked, but it didn't matter to him in the slightest that her nails were longer or that she was in a black coat and pointed hat. He was able to easily look past them and see the same beautiful girl he was deeply in love with.

The changes to her appearance weren't permanent anyway - and they would probably reshape into something she would like the moment they would reach her surprise.

With a small jolt, the ship landed gently on the ground. It had come to rest in the centre of the glade it had been hovering over. Peering nervously out of the windshield, Kairi saw they were surrounded by the dead trees and the darkness that shadowed the land. Both were setting her more on edge, making her feel a little afraid to step out of the aircraft.

"You ready to go out then?"

Sora's question diverted her attention onto him. The boy had already switched off the Gummi Ship's engine and was extending his hand towards her so she could take it. She stared down at the claw-like tips on the ends of his gloves. If she were to take his hand - which she normally never hesitated to do - they could easily rip her skin open. What had this world done to her hero?

"Oops!" It was as if Sora could sense what she was thinking, as he quickly withdrew the hand with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Kairi! I forgot how sharp my gloves are! I don't wanna go hurting your hand!"

"It's okay," Kairi answered, managing to smile as she held up her own hand. "I might've hurt you with my nails, too, which I would never wanna do to you."

Sora's face softened over the girl expressing her gentle nature, then lifted himself out of his seat to trudge over to the ship's door. He grasped onto its handle and slid it open, allowing an icy breeze from the outside to enter the ship. "You coming?"

Kairi's smile disappeared as she peered through the open doorway. She could see part of the glade outside in its permanently dark atmosphere. Never had she expected the world she was visiting that night to be so bleak - and here she was, about to trudge through it.

Stomach tensing in uneasiness, Kairi stood and treaded over to where Sora stood. Goosebumps ran all over her body as she observed the forest they had landed in. With the moon struggling to fill it with any light and the bare trees towering over them, it was such an unwelcoming-looking place. Kairi had never thought any place Sora took her to would make her feel afraid, but that was exactly what the forest was doing to her.

"Don't be scared, Kairi," Sora soothed, gentling linking her arm with his. "I'm here with you. I'm gonna walk through this place with you, every step of the way."

The sudden feeling of Sora's arm around hers made Kairi's expression instantly change. Her eyes widened with surprise while her cheeks turned a soft shade of red. As she turned to gaze up at him, the sides of her lips managed to raise upwards into a smile. Walking through this creepy forest actually wouldn't be too bad; not when she had her brave, handsome hero by her side.

She tightened her arm around his, relishing the feeling of them being entwined. "I know, Sora."

Looking away from her so she wouldn't see his own cheeks going red, Sora stepped forward to lead the girl out of the ship and onto the forest's uneven ground. They stood together in the dark, cold open air. It was only now he realized how warm it was inside the cockpit.

Sora turned himself around slightly (managing not to do the same to Kairi) so as to take hold of the outside handle on the Gummi Ship's door behind him. Then he slid it firmly shut before facing the trees that were a few yards ahead of them. With his arm tightening around Kairi's, he began to walk steadily forward. He casually escorted her away from the aircraft and across the wide glade. The possibilities of encountering anything in the forest didn't faze him. He knew the world well, and there really wasn't anything to be scared of.

As Kairi approached the trees with the one she loved at her side, her smile shortened as anxiousness took over her again. Walking through this dark environment wasn't anything like strolling through the brighter, more welcoming atmospheres of Disney Castle and Twilight Town. Whatever it was Sora had planned to surprise her with that night, he couldn't have found it in a more unpredictable destination.

They passed through the first row of trees - and almost immediately, a colony of bats sailed over their heads from their left, causing Kairi to jump with fright.

Sora chuckled. "Bit different from the seagulls we get flying over us back at home, eh, Kairi?

"A bit?" Kairi exclaimed, slightly humoured. "_Everything_ about this place is different from home, Sora! This world couldn't be anymore unlike it! How'd you, Donald and Goofy come across it, anyway?"

"By following the path destiny had in store for me as protector of the worlds. We found it on our travels in the Gummi Ship."

"Were you scared at all when you came here?" Kairi grinned.

"Nuh-uh. Goofy was a bit creeped out at first and I think Donald might've been trying to hide his fear a bit. But not me. Nothing in this world scared me-"

_Snap!_

Sora's playful bragging stopped mid-sentence as he jerked upwards with an aghast cry. He had stepped on a twig which had snapped sharply under the sole of his shoe, giving him a scare.

Kairi giggled softly at what she'd just heard and witnessed. "Brave as a lion, aren't you, Sora?"

"I'm serious!" Sora affirmed defensively with a slight laugh. "Nothing in this world bothered me! From this creepy forest to the ghosts, nothing could-

"_Ghosts?!_" Kairi squeaked. The single word Sora had just casually spoken made her entire body freeze with horror. An horrified, disbelieving expression had flashed across her face, leaving her jaw hanging open. She sent it up to the boy, who'd just set her alarm bells off again by absentmindedly informing her what this eerie world was inhabited by.

"Oh ... um ..."

Having already realized his mistake, Sora frowned as he gazed down uncomfortably at the staggered Kairi. Despite all the indications of what the world was like being thrown at her, he hadn't informed her that it was home to ghosts - and several other supernatural creatures, too. Now that he'd let her know in such a careless manner, he was at a loss of what to say or do. He could see clearly that she wasn't taking the fact he'd brought her to a world where ghosts lived very well.

"You're seriously telling me ... that there's ghosts in this world?!" Kairi stammered. "As in ... _real_ ghosts?!"

"Oh, but they won't hurt you, Kairi," Sora said hopelessly. "Donald, Goofy and I took care of the only real threats here, and all the ghouls that live here don't mean any harm. In fact, a few of them became our friends. And the dream of one of them was to bring a bit more cheer to this world."

Nothing Sora was telling Kairi could shake off her immense shock. She could barely believe he'd decided to take her to a world where ghosts actually existed. How could she have not realized this by seeing it had a jack-o'-lantern-like appearance on the outside?

Furthermore, what was it Sora found magical about this world (apart from its ability to change their appearances to make them look scary) which made him believe it would be a good place to take her on a night out?

Sora could see she was terrified, and he knew that any negative feelings she had towards the world had surely sunk even lower. "I know you don't really like the look of it here," he said, "and I understand that. But can you at least trust me that there really is something special here, which I want you to see 'cause I think you'll really like it?"

The question she had just been asked made Kairi's body release all the tension she'd built up. She locked her gaze with Sora's, taking in the unhappy expression that was right before her. Behind the jack-o'-lantern eye mask, sharp canines and the dark clothes he'd been forced to wear was the kind-hearted boy who had done so much for her over the fortnight. He'd taken her on fantastic trips out, prepared many surprises for her and had even reunited her with some of their old friends. She'd never asked him to do any of it, and yet he'd gone ahead and made it all happen, just for her. It was the same reason why he had taken her out to this world. Regardless of the fact it was a strange place where ghosts existed, there was something here which he knew about and felt sure would make her feel happy, as all her other surprises had succeeded to do.

There was no uncertainty over whether she trusted him or not.

"Yes, of course I trust you," she answered, looking down in shame. "I'm sorry I'm a little scared of this place, Sora. It's just that-"

"It's okay. Don't be." Sora smiled at her warmly. "It's not everyday someone gets taken on a night out to a place where ghosts exist."

Kairi giggled, feeling a lot better already. Only Sora could make her laugh over the fact they were in a spooky world.

"Are you ready to go on?" the boy asked patiently.

With her face glowing brightly, Kairi nodded up at him. All the fear she'd been feeling had finally disappeared, driven away by her undying trust towards Sora. She tightened her arm around his and turned towards the direction he'd been leading her in. She was now actually excited to be trudging through the shadowy forest. Her heart was racing in her elation over finding out what awaited her that was so wonderful.

Sora felt his cheeks turning red again. He grinned softly as he began trudging forwards again, taking the delighted Kairi closer to her surprise. Ahead of them, the ground ascended slightly upwards with two trees standing about four metres apart on the higher section. Sora effortlessly marched up the small slope and led Kairi in between them - before coming to a sudden stop when he saw where they were.

"Oh," he exclaimed in astonishment. "We're already there."

Kairi's head perked up. She blinked with confusion and gazed out to the part of the forest they had come to, unable to see anything that appeared to be magical.

The ground dipped back downwards, leaving a small glade that was surrounded by the trees with a few standing within it. They were all just as dull and lifeless as every other tree the teenagers had seen in the forest. There was no sign of anything with life or colour; nothing which could catch Kairi's eyes. What Sora thought she would like here, she didn't know, but it had not managed to turn her rapture into doubt. She gazed up at the boy, the bewilderment in her eyes joined by curiosity.

"Where are we?" she asked innocently.

"Oh I know it looks like there's nothing here..." Sora looked down at her to shoot her a wide grin, then raised his arm to point out into the glade. "But wait 'till you find out what that tree over there can do!"

As her eyebrows raised, Kairi peered out with growing curiousness to where Sora was pointing. He had averted her attention onto the nearest tree in the glade. It was standing separately from the other trees that were in the wide space, and was a lot thicker than them, too. It was just a few feet away. Whatever it was capable of doing, it was giving no indication in Kairi's eyeline.

She turned to Sora again. "Is that the magical thing you want me to see?"

"Well it _is _magical," Sora affirmed jubilantly. "You just need to see what it does."

Then without letting Kairi get another word out of her mouth, he pulled her hurriedly down the sloped ground. He didn't notice the stumped look he had brought to her face, as he was sending his wide grin towards what they were heading for. As they quickly reached it, he redirected his attention onto her whilst taking her around to the side of the tree's trunk that was facing away from them.

A loud and amazed gasped filled the entire glade. It had escaped from Kairi's lips, for she was highly stunned by what she could now see what on the enormous dead plant.

On the trunk was a large image of a Christmas tree, which happened to be the most colourful sight Kairi had seen in the eerie world they were in. It was an olive green with vibrant festive decorations displayed. There were baubles of various colours somehow being held onto the trunk, as well as gingerbread men and candy canes painted on the image, along with four yellow diagonal lines that were supposed to represent tinsel running around it. There was also a small, bright yellow star painted at the very top. At the bottom were a stack of three red boxes with pink ribbon running across them. They were three different sizes with the smallest on top and largest at the bottom. It appeared they had somehow been embedded in the real tree's trunk.

Kairi's wide, delighted eyes remained fixed to the image for a few seconds, then she broke her gaze from it to face Sora. "Why's there a Christmas tree on here?"

"Ah! Well I would be giving away your surprise if I told you the reason for that!" Sora said with a toothy smirk. "There's more to this place than being scary, you see!"

He reached out towards the largest bauble being held to the image. He grasped onto it and gave it a firm twist, resulting in Kairi being taken aback again as the entire Christmas tree swung outwards to its right. It wasn't a painted image; it was a door that led into the real tree, where there was nothing inside but hollow empty space.

As he held the door for Kairi, Sora beamed brightly at her and gestured towards the tree-shaped opening it had made in the trunk. "Right through there, Kairi, is your surprise!"

"Through here?" Kairi exclaimed, blinking in her bafflement. She couldn't understand why Sora wanted her to step into the tiny-spaced interior of this tree - until she looked down and saw there was a big drop inside it. Her jaw fell in her growing astoundment. As she peered down to see what awaited anyone who would plunge downwards through the darkness, her eyes could only widen again. About twenty feet below, the drop appeared to be filled with enormous blue spirals. It looked to Kairi as if it were a magical entrance to somewhere - and it was clear that falling was the only way to pass through it.

Feeling a little nervous about letting herself plummet downwards (but at the same time, growing more excited over finding out where it would led her to), Kairi faced Sora again. "You want me to jump down there?"

"Oh don't worry, Kairi. Jumping down there is perfectly safe. You'll have a very soft landing at the end of it, so you won't get hurt a bit."

The gentle tone he was speaking in and the smile he was giving her made Kairi feel reassured. She smiled softly back at him, knowing he would not make her do anything that would hurt her. He was the most protective and caring person ever.

"I'll go down there first just to prove to you its not dangerous," Sora said. What he didn't add was that he also wanted to make sure he could see her face when she would find out what awaited them below.

"Okay!"

Kairi nodded in acceptance. Then she watched with a widening grin as her hero stood in front of the Christmas tree-shaped opening. Bending his knees, he leapt backwards to fly into the inside of the dead tree before plummeting feet-first into the depths below. Kairi watched as he appeared to grow smaller and smaller, diving fearlessly to the spirals below. It hardly took him more than a few seconds to reach them - and the girl's eyes filled with surprise again. She could see that Sora was now falling in a circular pattern, for the spirals had started to haul him around in a path.

"_Whoa!_" he shouted excitedly as he was tugged towards the centre of the magical abyss. "I forgot how much fun this thing was!"

A small giggle passed through Kairi's lips. Her eyes closed while she shook her head over her hero's amusement over being pulled by the spirals. As soon as she opened her eyes back up, her smile vanished when she saw Sora had disappeared. He'd undoubtedly passed through the centre of the passageway below. Perhaps he was already landing wherever her surprise was that very second.

Kairi took a deep breath. She was not afraid to jump down into the deep drop to go after Sora. A confident smile spread across her face. Whatever was in store beyond the spirals, the boy she loved would be waiting for her there. He was the one who had planned this surprise for her tonight - which was about be unveiled to her as she jumped happily into the tree and let herself fall into the chasm below.

As she fell swiftly down through the dark depths, letting her arms rise above her head, the witch's hat she was wearing flew off her head and all of her hair rose upwards. Her eyes widened yet again, as she felt abashed by this, but unbothered by the feeling of falling. She completely trusted the boy who assured her she would be perfectly safe. She simply allowed the forces to drag her straight downwards - until she suddenly felt herself being pulled around in a circling pattern. In the time it had taken her to be bemused, her pitch black surroundings had changed to a light blue. That could only mean she had reached the spiralling passageway.

Kairi looked down at the abyss that was pulling her in. The spirals had appeared to rather small from where she had gazed at them from the ground level, but now that she had reached where they were, she could see just how large they really were. She allowed them to draw her towards the centre in the same path they had hauled Sora in. As her eyes fixed towards the spot which she was probably going to sink through, her face lit up when she saw some white shapes escape from it, flying upwards and passing her.

They looked like giant snowflakes.

With her elation growing as her body continued to fall, Kairi tried to piece together what the snowflakes and the Christmas tree-shaped door she had passed through meant. Her thinking didn't last very long, though, for the next thing she knew was that she was being lugged down through the centre of the spirals. She felt herself falling more quickly, which led to a loud cry erupting from her. Her blue, swirling surroundings had been replaced by a blank white atmosphere. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting to fall into her destination - then cried out again as she felt herself being thrown forwards, landing on something soft, wet and very glacial!

Shrieking from how icy whatever she had fallen onto was, Kairi's eyes burst open as she scrambled to her feet. She instantly saw that the ground she'd landed on was covered in thick snow. She shuddered from how cold it had made her and quickly began to brush off the amount that had stuck to her dank clothes - only to freeze in astonishment when she saw they had changed.

The black witch's robe she had been forced to wear had been replaced by a lighter, long-sleeved minidress. It was bright red with balls of white fluff running down the front to serve as buttons and a black belt clipped in place around her waist. The minidress hung down as far as her knees. Long trims of white fluff were running along its edges, as well around her wrists. As she looked down in amazement to take in her new outfit, Kairi saw that the black shoes she was wearing (which were half submerged in the snow) were no longer high-heels and were now curled at the front instead of barbed. They brought a small grin to her face - before she realized that her eyelids were now free of the dark make-up that had been on them. Eyes broadening in hope, she quickly raised her hands to examine her fingernails. When she saw they had gone back to their original size and were not longer and sharp anymore, she couldn't help letting out a delighted cheer.

There was something else, too; she could feel a hat on her head again. She didn't know where it had come from, but it didn't feel anything like the witch's hat she had worn and lost on her way down here. With an idea of what sort of hat this one would be, Kairi's grin widened as she reached up to pull it off of her head and hold out in front of her.

As she assumed, it was a floppy, red, pointed hat with white trim running around its base, as well as a small ball of white fluff on its tiny peak.

"You're looking dressed for this splendid holiday, Kairi!"

Kairi heard Sora's voice speak to her from nearby, which led to her head whirling round to where he stood on her right - and her jaw dropping slightly when she saw how his clothing had changed, too.

The differences made to him had not been as huge as those made to her had been, but they were all still impossible not to notice. He was in a much thicker jacket that was black, like the last one, but had much shorter sleeves that left his lower arms bare. It also had white trim running around the edges and wrists, a thicker belt made from leather, as well as buttons shaped like crowns that were running down the front. Many of the features from how he looked a few moments ago had gone, such as his longer canines, which had reverted back to their original size. There were no longer bat wings sticking out from his back, nor was his right eye covered by a jack-o'-lantern mask - but what kept it out of view was the black Christmas hat that had magically appeared on his head. The gloves, through still sharp on the fingertips, were now black with white trim around the wrists. The rest of his appearance remained unchanged - including his darkened hair and the skin around his eyes. He was still being forced to take on an image that was unusual to see him in, but now he was looking less like something a horror movie.

"Merry Christmas," he said, giving her a smile that his canines could not stick out of.

"Merry Christmas?" Kairi's eyebrows raised in as she tilted her head and smiled back at him in confusion. "What's this all about?"

"See for yourself."

Sora had raised an arm and was stretching it out to Kairi's path ahead of her. With her eyes shining with interest, she gazed out in the direction he wanted her to look. It was only then she realized they were standing in a snow-buried landscape. The spiralling passageway had made them end up on a large hill which sloped downwards from where they were, passing smaller hillocks and pine trees that were shrouded in snow. It stretched for about a mile or two, and what happened to be at the foot was visible from where the two teenagers were standing. It made Kairi's face lighten up.

There appeared to be a village at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by several other ones that towered over them. Some small buildings with their roofs covered in snow were caught by Kairi's delight-filled eyes. She felt they made the place look very welcoming - and indeed, very Christmassy. What had her feeling a little bemused at the same time was the tallest building of the lot. Like the smaller ones, its roofing was completely obscured by snow, but it looked very similar to the buildings she had seen in the image the world gave off when she and Sora had been approaching it in the Gummi Ship. It was the same shade of red, and consisted of a single tower standing in the middle with three roofs lined up in a row on each side. Kairi wondered if there was anything important about this building - but was growing even more excited to learn all about it.

"Is that where my surprise is?" she squealed. "Down there?"

"This whole place is your surprise, Kairi!" Sora answered joyfully. "Let me be the first to welcome you to Christmas Town!"

* * *

**So that's Kairi's next surprise; Christmas Town! You could probably see it coming from the last chapter. :P**

**Hope you found seeing her in both a Halloween Town form and a Christmas Town form interesting. I decided to go by what Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix does by giving Christmas-themed forms in the latter world, as I felt it would probably be awkward if she looked like a witch throughout her entire trip to the world.**

**So what are she and Sora gonna get up to here? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out. ;)**


	65. Reunion

**Sorry for the long wait, guys. This chapter was yet another big drag to write. Hope you enjoy what I have in store here for you.**

* * *

The only thing on Kairi that was brighter than the clothing she was wearing was her glowing expression. In all her elation that her surprise had brought on, she darted across the snow-covered ground towards Sora, throwing herself onto him.

"You're so amazing," she whispered, her arms thrust tightly around the astonished boy. " How d'you come up with all these wonderful surprises?"

With a soft smile on his face, Sora embraced Kairi back and ran a hand tenderly through her hair. "With my solid motivation to make my best friend in the whole universe very happy," he said. "Nothing can break that. Anything I can come up that I think you'll like, we go ahead and do."

Beaming broadly, Kairi embraced her hero tighter, pulling herself closer to him. "I've loved absolutely everything you've done for me," she murmured. "You've never failed to make me happy."

Sora blushed, his own happiness rising over what Kairi had just affirmed. His face glowed with his eyes locked onto the beauty he was holding. He was very delighted that his actions were able to bring joy to the love of his life.

Kairi was relaxing contentedly in Sora's arms - when she sensed some radiation coming from behind her. Curious, she lifted her head from where she'd rested it on the boy's chest, then turned it slowly to peer over her shoulder. "_Whoa!_"

The cry she'd let out of her throat had been brought on by the startling sight she'd only just realized was behind her. She found herself staring at another sneering face which resembled that of a jack-o'-lantern. Its white triangular eyes and sinister smile were seen within a large egg-like shape of vivid yellow light, which was also emitting some flashing sparkles. The light was shimmering brightly in front of the trunk of a snow-covered pine tree. Before it was the messy spot on the snow which Kairi had been thrown onto. She glanced down at the untidy markings that she and Sora had made where they'd landed, believing she'd already worked out the significance of the glowing face.

"Is that was we came out of?" she asked Sora.

"Yeah. And we have to go through that when we leave so that we will get sucked back up." There was a pause as Sora's smile grew. "But we're not gonna be doing that yet. Not until after we've had plenty of fun here."

Kairi sent her gaze back up to Sora, grinning widely while her eyes sparkled like the glowing face behind her. Then she remembered that the new clothing she was wearing was still a bit wet from when she had landed in the snow. Making a face as she released Sora from her arms, she gave him a playful push. "You didn't warn me I was gonna be landing in freezing snow!" she said, pretending to complain.

"Well, I couldn't, I'm sorry," Sora chuckled. "That'd be giving you a clue as to what your surprise would be."

"Well I've got a surprise for _you_!" Kairi smirked, and she quickly spun around to dart across the thick snow, leaving Sora as she disappeared behind the pine tree. "And I'm not giving _you_ a clue what it is, either!"

"I don't need one!" Sora called to her, stepping towards the tree with a chuckle. "I know what you're gonna do! I've seen it all before; you're gonna jump out and throw a snowball at me!"

"Oh no, Sora," replied the voice that was trying to sound innocent. "I'm afraid you're wrong. This surprise for you is not a snowball, actually."

"Yeah, right!" Sora snickered. "Think you can get when I'm not expecting it, do you? I'm not that dumb, you know."

"Oh no, Sora. I know you're not dumb. Absolutely not."

"Then I'm not going to believe you when you say you have no snowball when its obvious you d-_Whoa! ARGH!_"

With icy, biting snow covering his face, it was hard for Sora to get any more words out. Shuddering from how cold it was, he quickly wiped it away from his eyes and reddened cheeks, then pointed out wildly at the giggling girl who had just emerged from behind the tree and thrown it at him.

"There, see!" he yelled. "I knew I was right! I knew you were gonna throw a snowball at-_UGH!_"

Kairi had easily managed to put a stop to Sora's raving. All it had taken was to toss the other snowball in her hand into his face. Her triumphant, cheeky grin widened. Folding her arms (and rubbing her bitterly cold hands against her sides to warm them up), she watched him wipe away the heap of snow that - unlike the first - he had definitely not been expecting to fly into him.

"No, Sora, you're absolutely wrong," she said. "You surprise wasn't _a _snowball; it was two! Bet you didn't see that coming, did you?"

Once he could see after brushing away the last traces of snow from his face, Sora smirked at her. "No ... you got me there, Kairi. I wasn't expecting _two_!"

"And you didn't even think to arm yourself while I was behind the tree!"

"Well, just you wait," the boy warned humorously. "'Cause I might just decide to get you back when _you're _not expecting!"

Kairi shared a hearty laugh with Sora, feeling glad he was seeing nothing but the funny side in what she'd done). She squatted down and lay back in the thick snow on the ground. She paid no mind to the bewildered look that had just formed on Sora's face and was being sent down towards her, nor did she care her actions were making her clothing even more wet. Wanting to make the most of being in a land covered in snow, she happily flapped her arms up and down by her sides, shoving away the snow in their path. Her legs did the same task by moving swiftly to and fro.

Now understanding what she was doing as he watched, Sora smiled. "You've always loved making snow angels, haven't you?" he murmured. "You've been making them every time we've had snow on the islands since we were little."

"What's not to like about them?" Kairi giggled. "Grandma told me she loved making them, even when she was a teenager!"

Sora beamed over her playful innocence. Watching her make a snow angle reminded him of whenever she would do the same activity in her younger years, which happened every time snow had covered Destiny Islands and the two of them were out playing in it. Now in her teenage years, she still couldn't resist it. Snow was always able to bring out her inner child, which Sora hoped Christmas Town would be able to do in so many ways.

Kairi soon stopped flapping her arms and legs and sat upright. Bits of snow fell from her back as she lifted herself to her feet, stepping off the angel-like shape she had just made in the snow. She gazed down at it for a moment before sending her wide grin up to her hero. "What d'you think, Sora?"

"Really nice," Sora commented, nodding with approval. _But nowhere near as nice as you, _he thought, _because you're a _real_ angel._

"Thanks." Unaware of what words about her had just ran through Sora's head, Kairi took a last quick glance down at her work, then peered out towards the village at the bottom of the hill. Her eyes strained when she saw what was had caught her inquisitiveness earlier. "What's that big red building, Sora?"

Her question shifted Sora's attention onto the building that stood out above all the others. The sight of it led to an excited grin flashing across his face. He could perfectly remember what the large building was for - as well as who it was owned by. It belonged to someone special who everyone associated Christmas with. He was what made the wonderful holiday special, especially for all the children who believed in him. Kairi and Riku had believed in him once, but had come to the conclusion he wasn't real by the time before they had reached their tenth birthdays. Sora had done the same - but when visiting Christmas Town earlier that year with Donald and Goofy, he'd discovered he'd been wrong to stop believing in him. It had resulted in him being reprimanded by the person, who had turned out to be real, much to the boy's astonishment.

"I saw it on the world when we were flying towards it," Kairi said. "Is there anything important about it?"

Sora rubbed his hands together. He had the perfect opportunity to surprise Kairi even further by proving to her the person she'd stopped believing in was real. She was bound to be amazed.

"Not just important..." he said, turning to face her with the same grin, "..._special!_ There's something really special about that building and the person who runs it, Kairi, but I'm not gonna tell you what it is, because you need to go in there to find out."

"Race you there then!"

Sora was given an unexpected surprise himself as Kairi suddenly darted off with a giggle onto where the ground descended. He watched slack-jawed as she charged down the hill and away from him, then he sprinted after her, his soles throwing snow up into the air behind him. "Hey, wait up, Kairi!"

"Can't you go faster than that?" Kairi called to him without stopping. "Or am I gonna beat you before you even get halfway there?"

"Not today!" Sora laughed, scurrying down the hill after her. "You may think you're gonna win, Missy, but you're dealing with Super Speedy Sora!"

Kairi turned to look over her shoulder at him whilst still running. "Super Speedy Sora?" she laughed. "More like Super _Slow_ Sora!"

"Are you sure about that? 'Cause it pretty much looks like I'm catching up with you!"

Sure enough, Sora found he was nearing the running girl. It didn't take him long to draw alongside her, turning to face her with a wide, cheeky smirk. "Super Slow Sora, am I? We'll see if you'll still be saying that when I beat you!"

"Yeah, and when you're done daydreaming about it," Kairi teased him back, "perhaps you'll start running again when you realize I'm at the finishing point!"

"Daydreaming?!" Sora howled with laughter as he began to leave Kairi behind. "This ain't a daydream, Kairi! You're about to lose hands down to Super Speedy-_WHOA!_"

"_SORA!_"

What happened next struck both teenagers with horror. As a result of unknowingly stepping onto a patch of ice that the snow had buried, Sora had slipped and fallen onto his back. His crown had taken a painful strike against the ground, then just to bring the bar of his and Kairi's alarm metre up even higher, he began to slither down the slope. They both let out a shout as gravity dragged Sora through the snow and away from the girl. He was terrified. He was sliding down the hill very fast, completely unable to stop himself. Already, he was more than halfway down with Kairi failing to keep up as she sprinted frantically after him.

The soles of his shoes ploughed through the snow in their way. Sora was leaving behind a long trail from the point where his cruise down the hill had began. He was just praying (whilst letting out his cries at the same time) that he wasn't going to hit anything - when some tiny bits of snow flew up into his eyes. He howled, squeezing them shut tight. He could no longer see how much closer he was to the foot of the hill.

Nor could he see the horrified figures who were standing in his path.

He did manage to hear a loud shriek come from somewhere in front of him, which was followed immediately by a shout of "Look out!" from someone else. They told him he was probably about to hit someone - which only made his alarm worsen. Unable to stop himself, he felt his feet hit something hard, resulting in another shout from something in front of him as a great, heavy weight fell on top of his body from the chest down.

Sora grunted, his eyes bursting open as his wind was knocked out of him. He found himself looking up into the blackness of the sky with the hurried sound of Kairi's footsteps pacing down the hill. It was quickly drowned out by the angry, high-pitched hollering that came from the person who had fallen onto him, who was just beginning to lift himself up.

"Hey, watch it, buddy! Can't you see I'm walking here! It's not nice to knock people-huh?"

The complaining suddenly stopped, replaced by an astounded cry that came from the same person, whose voice Sora had no trouble recognising. In spite of his pain, the boy felt his shock being replaced by amazement as he rubbed his eyes. Once able to see again, He quickly lifted himself up from the ground, his jaw dropping when he found out who he was he'd knocked over.

"Sora?!"

"_Donald!_" Sora cried happily, beaming up at the dumbfounded duck before sending his gaze to the other figure, who was standing nearby, just as recognisable and flabbergasted. "_Goofy!_"

"Sora!" the dog exclaimed in his amazement. He was sharing Donald's delight over seeing his spiky haired-friend again. Like Sora and Kairi, his appearance had been magically altered for him to fit in with the festive-themed environment - but his new image couldn't hide how happy he was. "What're you doing here?"

"I might just ask you the same thing," Sora grinned as Donald lifted himself off of him.

"Donald?! Goofy?!"

The three astonished friends turned to where Kairi was standing a few yards away on the slope. She was equally as stunned as they were. She had not expected to see Donald and Goofy again so soon after her visit to Disney Castle - especially not in a world which she and Sora just happened to be in. What added to her state of surprise was seeing how Christmas Town had affected their appearances.

Donald's feathery body had been replaced by one made of snow with two large blue buttons with yellow crosses being held to his chest, one above the other. His arms were now thin and brown - as they looked very much like they'd been made of branches. In place of his tail was a small trowel which had its red blade sticking outwards. A woollen, green and red striped scarf was wrapped around his neck, a blue shako was sitting on his head and a pair of red spats with white trim were on his webbed feet. It was only his head (which remained the same) and familiar voice which told Kairi that it was her friend, who had clearly been transformed into a snowman.

Goofy, meanwhile, was looking a lot closer to a reindeer than a dog. He was dressed in a large, dark brown suit with a thick, red belt that had a golden buckle around his waist. He was also wearing a very small red jacket with white trim. On his hands were a pair of dark red gloves that each had a green ribbon tied around them, and hanging around his neck was a thick wreath that had blue and yellow baubles on it. His feet had also changed, having become white with large hooves. Perhaps the most noticeable alteration in his appearance was how two curled antlers were sticking out from the top of his head, although they could not distract Kairi from the change in Goofy's nose, which was glowing bright orange.

"Kairi!" the two animals exclaimed together in delight.

"Gawrsh, fancy seeing you two here!" Goofy said cheerily.

Sora lifted himself to his feet, smiling apologetically at Donald with a chuckle. "Eh ... sorry about knocking you over there, Donald."

"It's okay," Donald answered. "Just don't do it again! It's not polite, you know!"

The two teenagers laughed heartily together.

"Are you both alright?" Kairi asked her hero and the duck.

"I'm fine!" Sora affirmed. "How 'bout you, Donald?"

Raising his branch-like arm, Donald gave them a thumbs-up - with the stump on his hand that was supposed to represent a thumb. "I'm a-okay!"

"That's good," Kairi smiled, treading down to the foot of the hill to stand alongside Sora.

"So what are you guys doing here?" the boy asked his former travelling companions inquisitively.

"Well," Donald began, the tone in his voice lowering, "we're here on very secret business which no one else knows about. Not even the king."

Sora's eyes widened with interest. "What's that then?"

"Goofy lost the Christmas decorations for the castle-"

"Me?!" Goofy indignantly cut in. "I did not, Donald! You'rethe one who lost them!"

"No I didn't-"

"Yes you did!" The dog shot his feathered partner a resentful look as he placed his hands onto his hips. "You're the one who threw them away when we were clearing out the castle's storeroom today! I told you not to do that, but no, you said they were 'too old' and took them straight down to the landfill waste site!"

Sora and Kairi couldn't help sharing a soft laugh over what they were listening to. It was typical of Donald to stubbornly go through with a decision without listening to advice from Goofy first. They were both certain they knew where the story was leading, which only made it all the more funny for them before it had even finished.

"So what happened then?" Sora chuckled.

Donald sighed sulkily. "As soon as I got back, the king told us to start getting things ready for Christmas!" He glowered bright red. "Even though it's not for another _four months!_"

That was enough to set Sora off. He began to uncontrollably howl with laughter, finding he couldn't stop himself. With his eyes squeezed shut from his endless chortling, he didn't see the irate glare Donald was giving him. His laughs filled the entire village and landscape, even managing to shake bits of snow loose from some of the nearby trees.

"Oh, Donald," Kairi giggled when Sora had finally calmed down. "You should've listened to Goofy."

"He nearly didn't for a second time," Goofy said. "He wanted us to go to the landfill waste site to find the decorations there and bring them back to the castle before the king found out."

"Well it would've been easier to do than travelling here at this time of the night," Donald snapped.

"Yeah," Sora smirked, "but I don't think the king would be happy to have decorations that had been in garbage hanging around his castle."

"Which is why we came all the way out here to find some brand new ones," Goofy said.

Donald frowned up at Goofy. He was annoyed to have lost several hours of sleep to travel all the way out to another world in search of products he could probably find in the one where he lived - until he remembered that doing so had led him to meet up with two of his old friends. He turned back to Sora and Kairi, dropping all of his miffed feelings. He was very happy to see them again.

"So what are you two doing here at this time of the night?" he asked.

"Oh we came here for an outing," Sora explained. "I remember how fantastic this place was when the three of us came here, so I thought Kairi would like it."

Donald and Goofy stole a quick look towards Kairi before facing one another with knowing smiles. As Sora had done when he had asked them to help him bring her to Disney Castle, they knew he was going out of his way to make Kairi happy - and they both knew the reason why he was determined to bring so much joy to her.

"Hey, what are you two smiling about?" Sora asked suspiciously.

"Just never expected you to be out here at the same time as us," Goofy lied.

"Neither did we!" Kairi beamed, buying Goofy's claims. "But you being here just makes our night out here all the more awesome!"

The jaws of the two animals fell open. They were both astonished and moved by what the sweet girl had to say about running into them during her night out.

"Oh, gawrsh," Goofy said with a modest chuckle.

Donald smiled at them. "So what are you planning on doing here?"

"Well, remember when we went inside the big red building," Sora grinned, "and saw someone very special inside?"

"Oh!" Goofy exclaimed jollily. "You mean Sa-"

The last word of Goofy's sentence never came out, for to Kairi and Donald's surprise, Sora had quickly hurled himself forward to clamp his hands over the dog's mouth. "Don't give it away, Goofy! I want Kairi to be surprised!"

"Mmmff!" Goofy mumbled from behind Sora's hand. He took a deep breath as soon as they were pulled away, then smiled apologetically at the teenagers. "Sorry."

Hearing a sweet giggle coming from behind him, Sora turned to smile over his shoulder at the girl. "You ready to go in, Kairi?"

Kairi nodded eagerly.

"C'mon then, guys!" Sora ordered Donald and Goofy, facing forward again and pointing out ahead. "Into that great big building we go!"

The pair of animals exchanged smiles, then spun around and began marching under the tall entranceway of the village. With their backs to the humans, they started making their way towards where Sora wanted them to go, the snow crunching softly under their feet.

Linking her arm with Sora's, Kairi happily allowed him to lead her into the grounds of the village, which she began peering around in interest. She'd been too distracted by Donald and Goofy to observe it up close. She hadn't even noticed the large entranceway they'd been standing before; two pillars that were painted in a pattern of red and white stripes, holding up an illuminated sign that gave the village's name. Only now did she notice it as Sora guided her underneath it. It was the village itself that filled her field of vision, though. Tall, vibrant buildings with not only roofs covered in snow and candy cane-like patterns on their window frames and supports, but also all with twinkling, brightly coloured Christmas lights. Most of them were lined up in a row on both her left and right sides. What puzzled her, however, was that the doors and entrances to most of the buildings were a lot shorter than she was. They appeared to be less than a metre tall, making her wonder in bewilderment how tall the residents of Christmas Town were.

Nonetheless, there was one building that had a door tall enough for her to fit through, and that was the door of the building they were heading towards. It stood all by itself at the top of the village, towering over everything else. This was mostly helped by its clock tower, which stood dominantly in its centre. The building was two storeys high. On the front of it were two rows of six large windows. Above the row for the upper level were some smaller arch-shaped windows. Like the smaller buildings, the larger one had been decorated with sparkling Christmas lights. They ran down the front of the clock tower and over the tops of the window frames, as well as from the triangular ceiling of the porch in the middle of the front wall.

There was more in the village for Kairi to take notice of as she followed her friends. A few yards before the red building was a small pink and white carousel. She observed it with interest as they neared it, noticing that the four seats on them had been made to look like animals that resided in arctic environments; a white whale, a penguin, a walrus, a polar bear and a purple seal that was 'balancing' a yellow ball with red polka dots on its nose. Kairi smiled at the carousel as they strode past it, wondering if Sora would be willing to ride on it with her.

Goofy's attention had drifted elsewhere. He was peering curiously past the carousel and fixing his eyes onto a tall pole that had two megaphones secured to the top. "That wasn't there when we last came here."

"Yes it was," Donald said, thinking he was talking about the carousel. "Don't you remember? It took a few hits from us when we were fighting the-"

"No, not the merry-go-round," Goofy interrupted. "That speaker pole! Over there!"

Blinking in surprise, Donald looked past the carousel and saw the pole with the megaphones. Although he couldn't remember whether it had been there during their last visit to Christmas Town, what puzzled him was why Goofy was taking such an interest in it. Surely there was nothing special about it, was there? All it was used for was for announcements to be heard across the village.

"It definitely wasn't there the last time we were here," Goofy said. "I wonder what it's for?"

"Ah, don't worry about it, Goofy," Sora said. "We got something much better right in front of us to see."

Kairi gazed back onto the enormous building before them. She took in its great size and the glowing Christmas lights that really lifted its appearance. She also peered up at top of the clock tower, and noticed that a green holly wreath was around the bronze face of the clock. Just from what Kairi could see on the outside, it really felt like a wonderful festive-themed place. It made her all the more eager to go inside to find out what would be there and who it was Sora wanted her to meet.

Donald and Goofy stopped before the building's porch, then stood aside to let Sora step onto it first. With smiles spread across their faces, they watched as he approached the door. It had a holly wreath that was smaller than the one on the clock tower hanging onto it, which displayed a large bright red bow and some tiny golden baubles. There was also some holly hanging from its handle, and on each of the small walls that had been built on each side of the door were some decorations that looked like long candy canes. Whether by hand or by magic, whoever owned this building had certain made a lot of effort to make it look as Christmassy as the rest of the village.

After marching up the steps, Sora stopped in front of the door and took hold of its handle before turning to send a wide grin to the girl his arm was linked with. "Prepare to be wowed, Kairi!"

"I'm ready!" Kairi giggled.

"'Cause say hello to..."

Sora whirled his hand around quickly to twist the handle around and throw the door open with all his energy.

Except the handle didn't turn.

The door wouldn't open.

It was locked.

Sora's bright expression fell (as did Kairi's, Donald's and Goofy's). Bemused, he looked down where his hand was on the handle and tried to turn it again. It wouldn't move.

"What?!" Sora exclaimed. "Why won't it open?"

"Uh, maybe you should try knocking," Goofy suggested helpfully. "See if someone inside will come to the door and open it."

Nodding (and praying that Goofy's idea would lead to someone letting them in), Sora rapped on the door with his fist. He waited anxiously in the icy cold air for someone on the inside to pull the door open and let them inside. He didn't realize his whole body was jittering up and down in his distress. Nor did he notice the agitated look Kairi was giving him.

No sound of footsteps came from behind the door. Not so much of a the faint, brief noise could be heard some somewhere within the building. It seemed as though there wasn't anyone inside.

"Gawrsh, I guess there's nobody in," Goofy said.

Sora pounded harder on the door, all the excitement he'd built up now draining out of him. "Hello?! Is anyone in there?! Hellooooo?!"

It made no difference. Still no one came. Not even by the increased racket Sora made by unlinking his arm from Kairi's and hammering on the door with both fists.

"Sora, stop it!" Kairi cried. She grabbed onto his one arm with both hands and attempted to pull him away from the door. "Just stop it! There's nobody in!"

After thumping the door one last time, Sora's fists slid slowly down it. He let his head slump forward, leaving his brow to rest against it. Kairi could see that he was looking very disappointed, which made her frown in worry about him.

"Sora?" she murmured, raising a hand to place it comfortingly onto the boy's back. "Are you okay?"

Sora let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry, Kairi ... I really wanted you to meet the special person who lives in here ... I'm sure that would've really made your night out here really amazing."

Donald and Goofy turned to unhappily face one another. Both were feeling sorry for Sora over how what he'd just planned for the girl couldn't go ahead. Neither of them noticed the soft smile that was spreading across Kairi's face, but they immediately turned their attention back to the pair as they heard her speak again.

"Would've?" Kairi said warmly. "Sora, you've already made this night out really amazing for me, just by taking me here and being here with me."

Sora turned to lock gazes with the beautiful girl by his side, still leaving his head drooping against the door.

"I know you really wanted me to meet whoever lives here because you thought it would make me happy." Kairi took his hand. "And I appreciate it with all my heart. But all I really need to be happy here is you. You're the one who's made a big difference in my life and done so much for me since we were little. You're the one who brought me here, Sora, to this wonderful, fantastic place. It wouldn't be the same if you weren't here and I was all by myself."

As he felt his lips managing to form a smile, Sora couldn't help blushing a little over Kairi's words about him. He was highly moved by hearing he was all she needed to be happy somewhere. It was hard to believe he made such an impact on the life of the one he loved. He lifted his head up from the door, gently clasping his hand around the one holding his.

"I'm sorry for my behaviour just now," he apologised.

"Oh don't worry about it!" Kairi giggled, squeezing his hand. "It's just as well you didn't break the door down! I don't think the person who lives here would be pleased to find that when he'd come home!"

Sora chuckled, feeling a lot better, thanks to his best friend. He turned around to face Donald and Goofy. The two of them were now smiling towards him, having heard every word Kairi had expressed to him.

"So what should we do now then?" Goofy asked.

Sora sent his gaze around at the snow-covered village. He instantly spotted the carousel standing a few feet away, which made him raise his free hand to rub his chin. "I wonder if that's working now..."

"That merry-go-round?" Kairi said, glancing towards it before gazing curiously up at him. "Has it been broken or something?"

"It was when we were here," Donald answered. "But maybe someone's had a tinker with it since we've been gone."

"Only one way to find out," Sora said. He released his hand from Kairi's to turn around before taking hold of it again in his other one. He led the group away from the house and towards the carousel, hoping it would be in working condition.

Squeezing Sora's hand, Kairi eyed the carousel with interest as she and the party made their way towards it. Many years had gone by since she'd last ridden one, so it would be a lot of fun to ride the one before her, provided it was working. As they stopped near it, she sent the wide grin on her face towards the seat that was nearest them, which happened to be the one that had been constructed to look like a penguin.

"I'm gonna go on that little guy," she said, releasing her hand from Sora's to stride over to the carousel and climb onto its platform. She straddled the penguin seat on its back, as it was in a lying position on its front. It was held up by a single steel bar than ran through it from the carousel's canopy to its platform. She giggled softly as she patted the penguin's 'head', hoping it would be able to take her around in circles soon.

Sora smiled at how excited Kairi was before turning to Donald and Goofy. "Which seats are you gonna take?"

"I'll take the seal," Goofy answered.

"And I'll take the white whale," Donald added.

Sora ran his eyes over the carousel again to see what options he had left to choose from. There was only the walrus and the polar bear, and he didn't hesitate to pick the walrus. It was in front of the penguin, which meant he would be near Kairi throughout the ride. It was also much easier seat himself on - unlike the bear, which was standing in an upright position, looking impossible to sit on.

"Alright!" Sora exclaimed, marching intently towards the carousel and pulling himself up onto its platform. "Let's go see if this thing's working!"

Under the watchful eyes of Kairi, he sat himself down on the walrus seat. While Donald and Goofy clumped around the carousel to go to the seats they had chosen, the boy looked down to his right to find a munny orb slot next to him. Seeing that that it was labelled '**1 munny**' in bold, he dove his hand into the pocket on his trousers to pull out his munny pouch. It was a good thing the change of his clothes hadn't resulted in the pouch disappearing with his regular ones.

"You ready, guys?!" he called, pulling a single small orb out from his pouch.

"Ready, Sora!" Donald and Goofy both shouted from the animal seats they'd straddled.

"Ready," Kairi added softly from the seat behind him.

After stealing a quick glance at the girl, Sora took a deep breath for luck, then inserted the orb into the nearby slot. Then he quickly returned the pouch to his pocket sat upright, gripping the hand rail in front of him as he waited for the carousel to do something.

It did nothing. It didn't make a sound, nor did it begin to rotate. It just stayed stationary.

The friends' faces all fell.

"It must be still broken," Donald said, disappointed. "I guess nobody here is bothering to fix it."

Sora sighed unhappily, resting his head against the handrail in front of him. Everything he'd tried to do for Kairi in this village turned out to be unable to do. He was starting to worry they would end up returning home without doing anything fun that night.

"I'm sorry, Sora," he murmured downheartedly. "Nothing I've wanted you to do here has been working out at all."

"No, it's okay, Sora." Kairi forced a smile. "None of it is your fault. Besides, we can still have a lovely time-"

Kairi was interrupted by a sudden loud clunk, which startled her and the others. It had come from the inside of the carousal, where all the mechanics were located. All four pairs of ears perked up, their eyes full of bewilderment over what was going on. A few more thuds emitted, leading their faces to scrunch into confused frowns - before they all suddenly let out loud, surprised cries.

The carousel had sprung to life - by beginning to abruptly whirl around at a tremendous speed.

"Whoa!" Sora cried in fright. He had not expected it to work so suddenly, especially not at such a high momentum. He wrapped his arms tightly around the rail in front of him, feeling his seat raise and lower, joggling him up and down.

"Woohoo!"

An elated cheer which came behind him made it clear that a certain someone was already enjoying being carried around at this abnormal speed for a carousel.

"Gawwwwrsh!" Goofy hollered from his seat. He was equally as stunned as Sora was over how the carousel was suddenly moving so fast. "It looks like someone _did _decide to fix this up!"

"But not properly!" Donald yelled. He was barely hanging onto his rail and hardly enjoying his high speed ride. "I don't remember ever going this fast on a merry-go-round!"

Sora watched with wide eyes as all of the buildings and sights which surrounded the carousel blurred by. He could feel his spiky hair whipping back from the high momentum he was circling around at. Throughout his younger years, he'd ridden on plenty of carousels, but none had ever carried him at this pace. He had to cling onto the rail tightly to keep himself from being thrown off, although he was beginning to get some thrills out of riding a children's amusement at such a breakneck velocity.

"This is so awesome!"

The cheerful cries which came from behind Sora drove him to gaze over his shoulder, sending a smile towards the only girl on the carousel. "Enjoying yourself, Kairi?"

"Loving it, Sora!" Kairi yelled happily. "This is the cooled merry-go-round I've ever been on in my life!"

"Have you been on any as fast as this then?" Donald shouted over to her.

"No! That's what makes it the coolest! I would've loved this when I was little!"

Goofy chuckled in disbelief. The idea of a small child being willing to ride on a carousel so abnormally fast sounded bizarre to him. "Oh! Daring!"

"Would you've come on this with me when you were little, Sora?"

"Sure would!" Sora slipped his hands onto the rail and clutched it tightly so as to learn backwards as far as he could on his seat. His head was almost positioned upside down as he sent his smile to Kairi. "I would've _had_ to come on here with you, Kairi - to make you wouldn't fall off!"

Kairi gazed at him with reddening cheeks.

"I'd be determined to make sure this ride wouldn't throw you off!" Sora went on. "At this speed, you never know when someone is gonna end up falling-WHARGH!"

"_SORA!_"

The boy's name exploded from the mouths of his friends as he suddenly plummeted backwards off his seat, which had made him lose grip on the rail with its joggling motions. He landed on his back onto the carousel's platform floor with a loud bang. Then before he even realized what was happening next, the others hollered out his name again as he was thrown off the carousel, plummeting onto the thick snow on the ground.

Horrified by what she'd just seen, Kairi didn't hesitate to act. Ignoring the danger she was risking putting herself in, she lifted herself off of her seat to stand up. She paid no attention to the shouts and protests that came from Donald and Goofy, turning herself towards the edge of the roundabout. She saw the image of Sora on the ground blur past her. He appeared to be picking himself up and was now shouting to her not to do what she intended after the roundabout had carried her away from him.

"Kairi, no! Don't!"

Taking no notice of him, Kairi closed her eyes and leaped off the spinning carousel. Whilst in the air, she felt herself still flitting uncontrollably in the direction it had been carrying her in - before landing with a cry against something that happened to be in her path. It let out a loud cry, catching her immediately at the same time and wrapping a pair of something around her waist.

Kairi kept her eyes shut as she took in the feelings around her. Whatever she had landed against which much taller than her, as she realized her head was resting against it. She felt it holding her around her waist, making her blush slightly. She could also feel that her knees bent slightly with only the front of her shoes resting against the ground. They told her that she would've been in for a rough and possibly painful landing on the ground - had it not been for the one who had caught her.

Knowing instantly who it was, Kairi opened her eyes and looked up, blushing even harder as she locked gazes with the handsome boy whose arms she was in.

"Are you alright?" Sora asked worriedly.

"I am now," Kairi said softly, wrapping her own arms around his torso.

Sora breathed a sigh of relief. His deep blue eyes were fixed onto Kairi, so they failed no notice the carousel was beginning to slow down. "You shouldn't have done that. That was really dangerous."

"But I had to." Kairi's smile fell. "Never mind me, Sora, are _you _alright? You looked like you had a really nasty fall there."

"I'm okay, thanks." Sora smiled down at her. His heart filling with warmth over how she cared about him (though he was far more concerned about her than himself). "I just hurt my back a little, but that's-"

Sora's words stopped before he could finish his sentence. His mouth was now hanging open in surprise, for the next thing he knew was that Kairi was gently rubbing his upper back. She was running her hands smoothly over the section of his body that he had landed on after falling from his carousel seat. It was hurt after hitting the steel floor of the carousel's platform, but the more Kairi rubbed it, the more the pain he'd picked up seemed to disappear.

Sora gaped down at the girl, astounded by how she was able to drive away some of the soreness he was in just by tenderly touching him.

Kairi smiled again. "Better?"

"Much!" Beaming brightly, Sora lifted the young princess up and spun her around. "Thanks, Kairi! You're the bestest friend ever!"

Kairi squealed and giggled happily, tightening her arms around Sora as he placed her down on her feet. Her cheeks were even redder now while her smile had widened into a grin. Happiness was flooding everywhere inside her from the action Sora had just done with her.

"Awww. Are you two enjoying your hug?"

The half-taunting voice from nearby made the teenagers' faces fall with shock. They gaped at one another for a few moments, then slightly pulled away before looking towards the carousel. They saw that it had stopped completely. Donald and Goofy were standing side-by-side on the platform, gazing down at them. What made Sora's face scrunch up was seeing that a wide smile was spread across Donald's beak.

"You want me to get you a mistletoe?" Donald asked cheekily. "Then you two can spend some time under it."

In that split second, the amount of shock in the two teenagers doubled. Sora's cheeks were now as red as Kairi's. They were shocked that Donald was implying that the two of them wanted to be under a mistletoe together. In spite of the fact it was something they would've secretly been happy to go with, they quickly pulled away from each other, not wanting him to know that.

"Donald!" Goofy exclaimed, not wanting him to embarrass the pair.

"What?" Donald turned to shoot the smug look on his face up at Goofy. "I'm sure the two of them would _love _to spend some time alone under a mistletoe!" He folded his arms and turned back towards them. "Ain't that ri-_UGH!_"

Donald didn't get to finish his sentence, for Sora had thrown a snowball into his face. He glared irritably as he wiped the biting snow away, listening to the chuckles that came from around him. Once his vision was clear again, he saw that the boy and the dog were laughing at him - whilst the girl was still gazing towards him with a shocked expression.

"You wanna think twice about making fun of us out here, Donald!" Sora snickered. "'Cause we have all the material around us to throw the perfect weapon at you!"

Donald fisted his hands and placed them onto his hips before sending the glare on his face up to the chuckling Goofy. "You think that's funny, do ya?"

"Well you did ask for it, Donald!" Goofy replied, putting a hand to his face as he trying to control his chortling. "You say anything silly out here and you'll get a snowball lobbed at ya!"

As Goofy was clearly helpless in his laughter, Donald smirked, deciding to take advantage of it. He jumped to his left to get down from the carousel, bending over to quickly make a snowball in his hands. He listened to the chuckling from his companion as he made his weapon, knowing he was going to shut him up in a few seconds.

Once his snowball had been made, Donald straightened himself up. He turned to face his target, who had his left side to him, still laughing into his palm. He locked his eyes onto him, drew his arm back to prepare to throw, then-

_Pow!_

"_Argh!_"Donald screamed, dropping his weapon and pressing a hand to where another frosty snowball had struck his head. He rubbed the spot firmly to warm it up before glowering at Sora. He knew right away that it was he who'd thrown it. The fact that the sixteen-year old was snickering loudly while Kairi was still standing rigidly in shock wasn't needed to convince him.

"Need to watch your back 'round here, Donald!" Sora howled.

Donald's glare deepened intensively. Then he quickly crouched down to hurriedly make yet another snowball of his own. "In that case, you'd better watch your's, Sora."

Knowing he was about to be targeted, Sora darted away in the direction of the village entrance, still laughing. "Come and get me then, Donald!"

Donald darted after Sora, hurling his snowball at him. Goofy watched them race away and jumped down from the carousel to go after them. The cold night air was soon filled with shouts and laughter - as well as the sound of snowballs pelting their throwers' victims.

Through all this, Kairi remained standing stiffly where she was. Although she was aware of what was going on around her, she was too stunned to join in - and the reason was due to what Donald had said to her and Sora.

_"You want me to get you a mistletoe? Then you two can spend some time under it."_

Stand under a mistletoe with Sora? All the years she had known him, that was something they had never done together. In fact, nobody had even suggested them to do such a thing before. The idea of having a piece of mistletoe held above her and Sora hadn't crossed Kairi's mind while they had been in Christmas Town. She'd sometimes imagined it over previous Christmases she'd celebrated with him. The thought always succeeded to make her blush, as she was doing that moment. How she wished she could stand under one of those tiny little plants so as to have the right to give the one she loved a kiss - and maybe receive one in return from him. Even a kiss on the cheek would be wonderful enough for her, but Kairi was certain it was something Sora would never want to accept or give to her.

"Hey, Kairi! Are you alright?"

The fifteen-year old snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Sora's voice calling her. She turned to her right to see him standing a couple of yards away with Donald and Goofy. All three of them were gazing with bewilderment in her direction. Kairi realized she'd drawn their attention to her by staying where she was whilst they had running off, lost in her thoughts and staring into space.

"Oh, yeah, I'm alright!" she answered. A smile spread across her face as she marched along the snow-covered ground to rejoin them. "Just thought I'd stay out of the way of the flying snowballs."

"Aww! We wouldn't have thrown any snowballs at you!" Sora said, turning to Donald and Goofy. "Would we, guys?"

"Oh no! Absolutely not!" Goofy answered truthfully with a shake of his head. Even if Kairi had joined them where they had just been hurling snowballs at each other, he wouldn't have tried to fling one at her.

Donald shook his head as well. "Nah! We'd have just been going for you, Sora!"

The boy made a face at the duck before sending his gaze towards the girl at the sweet sound of her giggling.

Goofy, meanwhile, was turning away from them to point out towards what had caught his attention earlier. "I wanna go see if those speakers over there can do anything interesting."

"Aw, c'mon, Goofy!" Donald huffed grimly. "There's nothing special about those speakers! All they do is help special announcements be heard across this town!"

"But ya never know, Donald!" Goofy protested. "This _is_ a Christmas-themed town! Those speakers could well do somethin' Christmas-related!"

Donald, Kairi and Sora all peered towards the metal pole with the pair of megaphones held on top. None of them believed there was anything special about it. There was nothing on it which gave off hints that it was special and unlike other poles with speakers that they came across in other towns.

However, knowing Goofy was determined to find out if he was right, Sora turned towards him with a nod. "Alright then, Goofy. We'll go check them out."

Goofy shot the boy a smile before beginning to march towards the pole. The hooves his feet had transformed into sank silently into the snow with each step he took. Sora, Kairi and Donald made their way after him. They were not expecting to be in for an amazing discovery about the pole, but the two teenagers knew letting him inspect it would do no harm. Only Donald was getting a little crabby over what he felt would be a waste of their time.

Once he'd stopped before the pole, Goofy started to silently examine it, beginning as the top. He saw that the megaphones didn't have any decorations on them, but as he ran his eyes curiously down the pole, he saw there was a munny slot halfway down it. A small white sticker had been pasted above the slot, reading '**1 Munny**' in red text.

"Look, it does do something!" Goofy exclaimed, pointing down to the slot.

Sora peered past him to take in what he had noticed. "You're right!" he said with surprise when he was the munny slot. "It's gotta do something pretty neat if you put munny in it."

"Does it play something over the speakers, do you think?" Kairi wondered.

"On;y one way to find out!" Sora grinned. He dove his hand into his pocket and took out his munny pouch. Hoping what he was about to do would result in something nice happening for Kairi, he took out one small orb, stepped up to the pole and inserted it into the slot.

A soft, beautiful melody began to play from the megaphones, making the four friends' faces light up. It was a slow instrumental that had been composed on a piano. It escaped from the speakers and into the cold air, giving the village even more of a festive, magical atmosphere.

Sora, Kairi, Donald and Goofy all gazed up at the megaphones with astonishment.

"Gawrsh," Goofy exclaimed. "What a lovely piece of music!"

The soft piano notes made Kairi smile. She found the tune they made to be very relaxing and enchanting. Holding her hands behind her back, she stood silently where she was and listened. The melody reminded her of the tune that had been played at the Night Sky restaurant - which she had happily danced to with Sora.

She had no idea the same memories were going through Sora's head. The music was making him think back to the magical moment when he had been dancing with Kairi on the diner's dance floor. His arms were folded and a grin was on his face as he thought back to that wonderful night - but as he turned towards Kairi, his smile disappeared as another memory suddenly popped into his head.

He thought back to the last time he had visited Halloween Town. After dealing with the menace that had been causing trouble in the world, he, Donald and Goofy had watched as two of their friends had danced happily together in the moonlight. This had led Sora to imagine himself dancing with a smiling, giggling, younger Kairi. Just thinking back on it made him blush, but now that Kairi was there with him, he had the perfect opportunity to make what he had imagined happen for real.

Forgetting about Donald and Goofy for a moment, Sora turned towards Kairi, who was standing alongside him with her eyes fixed to the megaphones. "Kairi?"

The girl gazed up at him, smiling. "Yes?"

"Would you..." Somehow, the words got lost on the way to Sora's throat. He wasn't sure whether it was down to nerves or not, but he forced himself to build them back up and let them out. "Would you like to dance to this?"

Kairi's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe what she'd just been asked. Here she was, memorizing when she'd shared a dance with the love of her life - and here he was, asking her if she wanted to perform another one with him.

"Really?" she exclaimed happily. "You wanna dance with me?"

"If you'd like to." Sora smiled. "Don't feel you have to just to please me. You don't have to if you don't want-"

"Of course I'd like to!" Kairi cried, and without even realizing it, made a grab for Sora's hand. It was only when he shot her a surprised look when she realized what she'd done. She let her eyes fall onto their hands and widen at the sight of them joined, her cheeks going bright red again. "Uhh..."

Sora's grin returned. He had no problem at all with what she'd just done and was thrilled she'd accepted his offer. He paid no mind to the awkward look on her face. Making sure not to dig his clawed-gloves into her hands, he held them gently as he began to walk backwards, leading Kairi away from the speaker pole - and from the surprised Donald and Goofy.

Kairi beamed brightly again as she allowed Sora into a wide space where they would dance. Then she glanced over her shoulder at the duck and the dog, blushing harder when she saw they watching them. "Sora ... what about them?"

Realizing the pair were making the girl feel nervous, Sora peered past her to take them in. His grin went even wider when he saw the actions they were doing; Donald was nodding his head in approval while Goofy was mouthing the words 'Go for it'.

"Don't worry about them, Kairi," he told her softly. "Let's just lose ourselves in our dance."

Kairi's face lit up - then a squeal escaped her lips as Sora moved their arms back and forth in rhythm to the music. She shot him a delighted grin, allowing him to lead the dance. A wonderful feeling of happiness was growing rapidly inside her. She locked her eyes with the captivating blue ones before her, but had to break contact with them as she was twirled under Sora's arm.

After twirling her around the other way, Sora wrapped his arm lightly around Kairi's lower back, pulling her closer to him. He saw her cheeks turning an even deeper red, but as he continued their dance by swaying from side to side, his ears perked up as she let out a soft giggle. The grin he was giving her sparkled. The piano music was still playing from the speakers. How lovely it sounded couldn't compare to the beauty he was waltzing with.

Now that she had one arm free, Kairi draped it around Sora's neck. The smile on her face grew longer as the happiness inside her continued to increase. This was the third dance she was sharing with him, and it was as wonderful as the first two had been. She was cherishing every moment of it - and being taken by surprise as he leaned her backwards to dip her. She clung onto his neck as he held her above the ground, gazing elatedly up at Sora and giggling uncontrollably.

Sora held her where she was for a moment. He was the happiest he had been throughout the entire night. Months ago, he had imagined himself dancing with this beautiful girl in his arms - and now they were doing just that in the world where he had pictured them doing so. He was very grateful that this amazing moment was not just his imagination.

"Merry Christmas, Kairi," he whispered.

Kairi's giggles grew louder. Her hand let go of Sora's so that she could wrap her other arm around his neck. "Merry Christmas, Sora."

From where they were, Donald and Goofy watched as Sora pulled Kairi back up to their feet. The two animals could not keep themselves from smiling. They were pleased to see the young lovers dancing together. It was clear the pair of them were enjoying it on the same high level - just as it was clear they both felt the same way about each other.

"I'm glad we decided to check out those speakers," Donald said, keeping his voice low so that only Goofy could hear.

"_We?_" Goofy remarked, bemused. As far as he could recall from a few moments ago, Donald had not been interested in taking a look at the speaker pole.

"That's right." Donald nodded. "'Cause then we would've never gotten to see this."

Goofy sent his focus back to Sora and Kairi. He could see the two were still in one another's arms, spinning around together and letting out happy laughter. He smiled to himself, recalling some words of advice he had given Sora the last time they were in Halloween Town, due to the fact the boy had felt guilty about being unable to find a present for Kairi.

_"Well as long as she can be with you, what else does she need?"_

Goofy folded his arms and leaned back against the speaker pole. He knew there was in fact only one more thing Kairi needed; for her and Sora to confess their love for each other.

* * *

**I wonder how many of you saw the dance Sora imagined himself having with Kairi coming. As I was writing about Christmas town, I just had to make them share one. Hope you guys reading about them doing so. :)**

**One thing I'm sure you're all wondering is why Jack, Sally and other characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas have not been seen or mentioned here AT ALL? Yeah, I'm really sorry if you were expecting them and got disappointed that they didn't. Thing is, I felt it wouldn't be right if they made an appearance in this story, yet other iconic Disney characters such as Aladdin, Ariel, Belle and Beast and so on didn't. That's one of my biggest regrets about this story: that didn't use enough Disney characters. Still, I decided to put Donald and Goofy in instead. Putting them in helped move this chapter along, and I hope they made up for Jack and Sally's absence.**

**Okay, enough of my rabbiting now. Only a few more chapters to go - which will revolve around what could be Sora's last ever day...**


	66. Depressing Dawn

**Here's chapter sixty-six (can't believe this story has reached such a number). Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The enormous hill which Christmas Town was at the foot of was a lot steeper than Sora remembered. Marching up it wasn't as easy as racing Kairi down it - or _sliding_ down it on his back. The sixteen-year old was half-way up the long slope, but he found ascending the sharp gradients was a tough challenge. It had warmed his weary body up - which he found ridiculous, due to how bitterly cold the environment he was in was. He put one foot before the other for the umpteenth time, then after sinking it into the deep snow, he came to a stop, exhaling heavily before turning to the girl at his side.

"Cmon, Sora! You're not exhausted already, are you?! I've decided I want a rematch of our race!"

Kairi was hardly looking drained from the climb up the hill. Sora could see she was still upbeat and chirpy. She was giving him her bright smile, which was always wonderful to see. What she had just said she wanted them to do, however, didn't sound as wonderful at that moment.

"Are you kidding, Kairi?" Sora chuckled. "I'm not gonna race you up here."

"Scared you'll lose to a girl, are you, Sora?" Donald teased.

Sora frowned, looking back in disgruntlement over his shoulder to see the duck behind him, a few yards further down the hill. He was standing at Goofy's side, giving the boy a wide, teasing sneer.

"Hey, I beat her on the way _down_ here!" Sora said defensively.

"Only because you slipped and slid down on your back," Donald snickered. "That doesn't count!"

"Yes it does!" A smirk managed to find its way onto Sora's face. "And my prize for winning was I got to knock you over!"

As laughter escaped from Kairi and Goofy, Donald's beak fell open, leaving a dumbfounded expression that had been brought on by Sora's cheeky response.

"Aww, don't be mean, Sora!" Kairi said, feeling bad for giggling over what the boy had said about knocking Donald over. She tapped him lightly on his upper arm, pretending to hit him. "That's not very nice to say! Anyway, we all know I would've won if you hadn't slipped and slid down!"

"'Course you would've, Kairi," Sora smirked half-jokingly.

Kairi made a face up at him and let out another giggle before proceeding to make her way up the hill at Sora's side. She could hear Donald muttering irately to himself while hearty laughs were still bursting out of Goofy. She couldn't keep her smile off her face as they drew nearer to the top of the hill. The tall, snow-covered pine tree that stood there was already in sight. After a few steps forward up the steep incline, she saw the glowing jack-o'-lantern face come into her eyeline, too.

"So I guess you'll be going then?" Goofy asked, unable to keep his disappointment out of his tone.

"I'm afraid so, Goofy," Sora sighed. He was a little disappointed as well. He'd managed to have such wonderful fun in the village - especially when dancing with the love of his life. His shoulders sagged a little as he and Kairi reached the peak of the hill. As they stood side-by-side before the glowing face on the tree, Sora swung around, gazing towards his former travelling companions.

Kairi rubbed her eyes, yawning softly. "I'm gonna love my duvet tonight. It'll be so nice to snuggle up under it after being out in this snow."

"Have you enjoyed your time out in the snow, though, Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Of course I have." Kairi lowered her hand to smile wearily yet gratefully at him. "I've had a fantastic time here, thanks to you guys." She turned around to face Donald and Goofy, giggling. "You guys managed to make this a merry _early_ Christmas for me."

Goofy rubbed the back of his head, a modest look on his face. "Oh ... Sora's the one who did that, Kairi. Donald and I hardly did anything."

"Don't say that," Kairi said. She strode up to the dog to wrap her arms around his lean torso. "Seeing you two here has made it even better. I absolutely love your company, guys."

Goofy's cheeks were turning almost as red as the Christmas jacket he was wearing as he gazed down at Kairi. He was very surprised to be embraced by the girl, but welcomed it highly as he joyfully hugged her back. "Oh, gawrsh!"

Kairi held onto Goofy for at least half a minute, then letting him go before turning to Donald to envelop him, too. "I've been really happy to see you both."

As it was Donald's turn to receive a hug from Kairi, it was also his turn to be a little astonished by it. He gaped silently at the girl, who wasn't pulling away or even flinching from how cold his body was after being transformed into snow. Nonetheless, it took him no time to cherish her affection, a smile stretching across his beak as he wrapped his stick arms around her.

All the while, Sora was watching with a soft grin. He was very glad he'd decided to take Kairi to Christmas Town that night. Had they visited it on any of the nights that had just passed, they wouldn't have been lucky enough to inadvertently meet up with Donald and Goofy there. His arms folded while his shining eyes remained fixed to Kairi. He took in how happy she was as she hesitantly pulled away from Donald.

"What will you guys do about your Christmas decorations?" the young princess asked, tilting her head.

"_The decorations?!_"

The two words had exploded out from both Donald's beak and Goofy's mouth. Horror had filled their expressions instantly as they faced one another, slack-jawed. Kairi's question had made them realize they'd made no effort to look for any Christmas decorations while in the village to replace the ones Donald had thrown away. All the fun they'd been having with her and Sora had lead to the reason why they were in Christmas Town in the first place to completely drift from their minds.

"Gawrsh, we'd forgotten all about 'em!" Goofy said sheepishly. "We're gonna have to go back down there and look!"

"Oh, I don't think we're gonna find anything down there, Goofy," Donald huffed. "I didn't see any open stores there."

"Where will you get your replacement decorations then?" Kairi asked with a worried look. "I don't want you guys to get in trouble with the king."

Goofy clamped his mouth shut and tapped away at his lips as he thought for a moment, then pointed his finger upwards as an idea popped into his head. "I know what we'll do; when Donald and I return to our home world, we'll wait outside the stores in Disney Town until they open! Then we'll call into one and ask if they have any Christmas stock in their storerooms yet!"

"What?!" Donald exploded. The idea of standing outside a store at early hours in the morning, waiting for it to open did not sound good to him. "I'm not doing that, Goofy! I wanna go home to bed!"

"Well, you can do that when we get back to the castle," Goofy said hopefully. "We'll tell the king you're sick so you can stay in bed ... provided we manage to sneak back up to our rooms and hide the new decorations without him seeing us."

Sora and Kairi laughed.

"You don't even know if there's gonna be any Christmas stock in the stores!" Donald fumed. "How d'you know that plan is gonna work?"

"Who knows?" Sora smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "But what I do know is you should've listened to Goofy when he told you not to throw those decorations away, Donald!"

Donald frowned, but quickly dismissed how unhelpful Sora was being and smiled at him. "Well, at least throwing them away meant we got to see you guys again, right?"

"It sure did!" Sora grinned. "And it's been fantastic to see you both again!"

"Right back at ya!" Goofy said, beaming brightly at him.

After returning his grin to Goofy, Sora turned to face Kairi, taking one final look at her appearance in her Christmas Town form. She was so adorable with a Christmas hat on her head and a matching red coat. To Sora, however, she was already adorable in every single way, even behind the form she was about to adopt again when the tree would transport her back up to the woods. He gazed warmly down at her, wanting to memorize her in her Christmas Town form in perfect detail.

"You ready to go then, Kairi?" he asked her at last.

Kairi covered her mouth and let out a small yawn. She didn't really want to go. She would have been very happy to stay in Christmas Town all night, having fun with her friends. However, she could feel herself becoming tired and sleepy. She also knew that they couldn't stay there all night, for Nikkou would have a horrible shock if she walked into Sora's room the following morning to wake him up, only to find that he wasn't there.

"Ready, Sora," she said softly, lowering her hand and smiling up at him.

"You go on up first," Sora told her. "I'll catch you up."

Kairi nodded softly, then smiled at Donald and Goofy as she stepped away from Sora. She treaded slowly towards the glowing face on the tree, her hand raised up to wave to her friends, whose company she'd highly adored that night. "Bye, Donald! Bye, Goofy! Have a safe trip home!"

"You too, Kairi!" Goofy called as he waved back cheerily to her.

"Bye, Kairi!" Donald waved also. "Hope we get to see you again soon!"

The two animals watched as the fifteen-year old stepped into the glowing face in front of the tree. Its radiation increased as she disappeared in a flash, magically pulled into the tree's trunk. Knowing she was now being carried back up to the main level of the world, Donald and Goofy turned to say their goodbyes to Sora.

Immediately, their faces fell drastically at the sight of him.

The boy's face had gone white. He was gaping with wide eyes locked into space, looking as if a horrifying thought had just entered his mind. His change of mood made both Donald and Goofy frown at him in concern.

"Sora?" Goofy exclaimed. "W-What's the matter? Are you alright?"

With the voice of one of his former travelling companion cutting through his thoughts, Sora gazed at the two of them. A sad smile found its way onto his face. His shoulders sagged as he treaded up to his worried friends - and surprised them both by putting arms around Donald.

"See you, guys," he murmured quietly. "I've absolutely loved seeing you again. You two are so awesome." He pulled away from the stunned Donald to embrace the equally flabbergasted Goofy. "Thanks for helping me and Kairi get to dance ... and all the other great things you've done..."

"Sora..." Goofy said in a sad voice, "...is there something troubling you?"

"You can tell us," Donald added, giving a warm smile as he patted Sora comfortingly on the back. "We're your friends."

Sora pulled away from Goofy. He looked at him and Donald for a final time - failing completely to hide the fact he was trying to keep himself from crying.

"I gotta go," he sobbed, turning away to plod hurriedly towards the face on the tree. "Kairi will be waiting for me."

"Sora, wait!" Goofy called after him, stretching out an arm. "What's the matter?! Why are you sad?!"

Sora gave no answer. He just stepped into the jack-o'-lantern-like face and disappeared into the tree without a word. He'd left Donald and Goofy speechless. The two of them faced one another, shocked, bewildered and upset over their friend's sudden change of mood. Just a few minutes ago, he'd been happily enjoying the time he'd shared with them and Kairi in the village.

What could have happened that had led him to feeling so distraught?

* * *

How things worked inside this vertical bridge between Christmas Town and the woods was unbelievable. Sora found that he was being hoisted upwards by tiny magical snowflakes that were clinging to his shoulders. They were just pulling him clear of the centre of the spiralling passageway, which was changing him back into his Vampire Form. The snowflakes had no trouble lifting his body up into the darker atmosphere, hoisting him towards the inside of the tree that he had jumped down earlier. What they were unable to lift, however, was his sunken mood.

Sora fought to keep his face (which was partly hidden by his jack-o'-lantern mask again) under control. He'd refused to cry in front of Donald and Goofy and he was certainly not going to do it in front of Kairi. There was no way he was going to ruin what had been a fun night out for her. No matter how much he was being tortured by what was inside her head, he couldn't implant it into hers.

As he looked up, he saw that he was about to be carried into the small, hollow space inside the tree above him. The Christmas tree-shaped door had been left open, allowing him to see a glimpse of the bleak, eerie world outside. Quickly, he rubbed his eyes on the back of the sleeve on his black jacket, making sure he had no tears. He lowered his arm just in time to see he was being pulled up to the level of the open doorway. The snowflakes slowed to a stop, allowing Sora to peer out into the dark, gloomy forest they'd brought him back to, where he saw a cheery-looking young girl with the appearance of a witch waiting for him.

Still holding Sora up by his shoulders, the snowflakes lifted him out of the tree. They suspended him before Kairi, his feet dangling a few centimetres above the ground, only to drop down onto it as they all disappeared into thin air. Now standing before the girl, Sora turned to look over his shoulder at the tree. His eyebrows raised with bemusement as he saw the Christmas tree door shut all by itself. He gazed upon the image it gave off. It truly was the only sign that indicated this tree was the entranceway to somewhere very special.

With his face still under control, Sora turned back to Kairi, bringing a small smile to his face. Ignoring the dark make-up and clothing she was being forced to wear, he could see a very happy girl before him. He was determined not to do anything which would wreck her mood. "You ready to go, Kairi?"

Kairi nodded, beaming up at her hero and completely unable to see the sadness behind his smile.

"Alright then," Sora murmured. "Let's go."

Together, the two lovers made their way around the tree and across the midst of the forest. They strode side-by-side swiftly through the darkness in search of their Gummi Ship. Their appearance really did make them look like they belonged in the environment they were in. Both of them knew they wouldn't need to be in their Halloween forms for much longer, and that they would go back to their regular appearances once they'd flown the ship out of the world.

* * *

The first rays of daylight were creeping out from the sun. They were stretching out across the ocean and trying to reach Destiny Islands. They allowed Sora to see where he was going easily as he flew the Gummi Ship over the tides of the sea. His eyes were peering determinedly out through the windshield. No longer was the skin around them dark, nor were his canines sticking our between his lips or were there batwings sticking out from the back of him. The moment he'd left behind the dark, haunting atmosphere of Halloween Town, he'd magically changed back into his normal form and the clothes he'd worn for the day. He hadn't taken a single trace of his Vampire Form with him.

What remained the same about him, however, was the sunken mood he'd ended up in during his last minute in Christmas Town. He was no longer trying to hide all the sadness he was in. A tear rolled down his cheek as he gazed out through the windshield. He was feeling very depressed - and it was only due to something Goofy had said to Kairi just before they'd left Christmas Town.

_"Hope we get to see you again soon!"_

He shuddered, feeling his blood turn to ice. He didn't know if what Goofy hoped for would happen. He didn't even know if he was ever going to see him or Donald ever again.

This new day that was beginning was likely to be the last whole day of his life. For sixteen years he had lived, accompanied along the way by his devoted, loving mother and his fantastic friends - and now he had to face the fact that his life had a chance of being all over. Dr Mizu had warned him the day he'd been released from hospital that if the cancer cells had spread from his arm, he would die exactly in one fortnight from that day. He had also told Sora that would also be the time it would take the results from his surgery would arrive at the hospital. They would tell him for sure whether his life was to end or not - but Sora was afraid he wouldn't even live long enough to get to the hospital to hear what they were.

The whole fortnight would be all over after this very day. Sora was still struggling to get his head around it. He couldn't believe how quickly time had passed since he'd been told the heartbreaking news that he had cancer. He was terrified he was going to die the next day, but what terrified him even more was how his own death would affect all those who he cared about. He knew it would hurt them, which he would never wish upon them. He didn't want to hurt his mother, he didn't want to hurt his friends - and he didn't want to hurt the beautiful girl next to him.

Keeping his hands on the ship's joystick, Sora turned to look at Kairi. Like him, she had been magically transformed back to her regular appearance when they had left Halloween Town. All the witch-like features had disappeared, leaving her free of dark make-up and clothing. She was back to being in just her halter top, minidress and purple shoes. No pointed hat sat on her head and her nails had even changed back into their regular size and were no longer sharp. Kairi had no idea Sora was looking at her sadly, nor did she even know they were nearly home. She had fallen asleep in her seat whilst during their return journey through the universe. Her head hung at one side while her eyelids remained tightly shut. Her deep breathing filled the entire ship, the sign that she was far away in a deep, peaceful sleep.

Another tear escaped Sora's eye as he cheerlessly observed how contented and beautiful Kairi was. He could feel agony filling his heart. Everything he'd been through with her over the last several days and nights had been incredible. There's been joy, anguish, laughter, tears, excitement, fear...though all the surprises he'd brought to Kairi had solely been to make her happy, the two of them had been through so many emotions together. Not even his epic journey across the universe with Donald and Goofy - which had lasted him for over a year - could compare to what he and Kairi had been through over the twelve days that had passed.

Now it was the beginning of day thirteen, and a horrible, unlucky feeling was already settling inside Sora's stomach. Although the likelihood of him dying the following day was not definite, he was deeply afraid that it would happen. His heart was hammering madly in his fear. If the cancer cells had spread to the rest of his body before they'd been removed from his arm, that meant he now only had approximately twenty-four hours to spend with those he loved and cared about. Then he would be taken from them, leaving them with a wound in their hearts each - and taking Roxas with him. All because he'd been stupid enough to sleep for hours under the hot sun with no santan lotion on to protect his skin.

Crying silently, Sora turned back to the windshield. He saw they were just about to fly over the miniature form of the smaller island. The familiar sights on it had partly been blurred out in the dim morning light. Sora grabbed the lever that was used to send the Gummi Ship into ascend or descend mode. However, his hand didn't budge it as he flew the aircraft onwards, soaring it over the smaller island. It was only when the main one came into view that he pushed the lever upwards, sending it into descend mode. The ship began to sail downwards in the air, slowly sinking towards the sleeping land before it.

As Sora's eyes fell onto the edge of the island, where the large, vacant beach was, he clasped his hand back onto the joystick. He was surprised by how narrow and tiny it looked from up in the air. The faint but growing light from the sun helped him to spot where the wooden pier was. He began to focus on landing the ship there - when his watery eyes widened as a sudden memory popped into his head.

The sunrise had reminded him of something he had promised Kairi within the fortnight that was about to pass. Something which he had said they would do together, yet they had never done so. It had been on the morning when they'd met up on the beach of the smaller island for Donald and Goofy to take them to Disney Castle. He had told her he'd watched the sunrise while waiting for her - and went on to say he desired to watch one with her.

_"I want us to get to watch a sunrise together. Would you like that?"_

_"I would _love _that, Sora! That would be lovely!"_

_"Then do it, we shall! I promise!"_

Sora hit himself on the forehead. How on earth could he have been so stupid to forget that promise to Kairi? Though he'd stuck to the one about spending what would probably be his final days with her, not once had the two of them spent a morning together watching a sunrise. They had been awake together during the dawning of new mornings when returning home from the outings he'd taken her on over the last few nights, but that wasn't good enough. It wasn't the same as sitting together, watching the sun rise up from the horizon and into the sky, which was what he'd meant for them to do.

Sora's broken heart sunk as he turned back to the sleeping girl next to him. He felt terrible for breaking that promise to her. He couldn't even make himself feel better by the fact it was only due to arranging many surprises for her - which had all successfully gone ahead - that he'd forgotten all about it. He'd had plenty of mornings to take Kairi down to the smaller island and watch the sun come up. Now thanks to him being so stupid and forgetful, it was too late-

_No! _It wasn't too late, there was still a chance; he had one more night left to treat her. He'd already had every intention of spending what would perhaps be his final night with Kairi, and now he knew exactly how they were going to do it. He didn't care how tired he would be from staying awake over the last three nights - or from spending the day out with his mother. If he was to die the following day, he was not going to allow it to happen without him carrying out his promise to Kairi first.

Sora felt the base of the Gummi Ship hit the flat surface of the pier as it touched down onto it. He peered out of the windshield to see the tops of the sleeping houses visible beyond the fence at back of the beach. He'd landed at the very end of the pier. He was going to have to leave their ship on the main island for the day. He hoped nobody who'd see it would try to steal or vandalise it - but with everything he was going through, that was the least of his worries.

After switching off the ship's turbines, Sora looked back at Kairi again. She was still sound asleep in the chair next to him. It was amazing how not even the racket made by the turbines had managed to stir her. Sora's gaze softened. She looked so sweet, being so far away in her peaceful sleep. He couldn't bring himself to wake her, but he still had to take her back to her house - and return to his before his mother would wake up and find him gone.

A smile found its way onto the boy's face. If he was careful with what he was about to do, he would be able to get Kairi home without disturbing her sleep.

* * *

The sun continued to creep up higher, shining down towards the islands. It had changed the colour of the sky from pitch black to dark pink. The illumination it was giving off was starting to fill the one side of the main island. As well as the beach, it was lighting up all the buildings and the estates. Inside every house, all the residents were still asleep. They had no idea the new day was beginning.

Nor were they aware of what was going on out in the open world.

Had anyone who lived in one particular street woken up and looked out of their bedroom window, they would've been in for quite a surprise. A figure was just entering the street from one end, making his way through it in the early hours of daylight. He was a teenage boy with dark brown spiky hair and ocean blue eyes. He was treading along the sidewalk in the morning light - carrying a sleeping, red-haired girl in his arms.

Sora smiled softly down at Kairi as he walked. She'd not stirred once while he'd been carrying her away from the ship and to the street. He'd been very careful with her every step of the way. His arms were holding her up from underneath her back, refraining from dropping her or letting her fall. Her left arm was dangling limply above the ground while her right arm was resting against the boy's chest, as was her droopy head.

It didn't take Sora long to reach the gateway of Kairi's house. He turned to pass through it, intending to carry her along the garden path and into the house - only to stop when he realized there was a dilemma before him. He found himself looking towards the front door. Kairi would've surely locked it before leaving the house. Of course, it wasn't anything he couldn't unlock himself with his Keyblade, but that was going to be difficult to do when he had a sleeping girl in his arms.

Sora frowned in the direction of the door before looking down at Kairi. There was no way he could take out his Keyblade and unseal the door's lock while carrying her at the same time. He was going to have to put her down for a moment - and with the same level of caution, as he was determined not to wake her.

Still cradling her, Sora treaded slowly along her garden path until he was standing in front of her doorstep. He turned to his left, facing the half of the lawn on that side of the path. Very carefully, he lowered himself onto his knees, taking care not to drop Kairi, then laid her down gently on her back onto the grass. He tensed up nervously, worrying that was all it was going to take to stir her. As he slid his arms out from underneath her, a mild but cold breeze blew at them, passing through the street. Kairi mumbled softly and turned her head to the side, but slept peacefully on.

Sora sighed with relief, then stood up straight and turned towards the door. There was a great big flash of light where his right hand was as he summoned his Keyblade. He clutched it tightly by its handle, lifting it up to point it towards the keyhole in the door.

If anyone had been looking out of their windows and not been surprised to see Sora carrying a sleeping Kairi, they most likely would've been astounded by what he was doing next. A blast of silver illumination erupted from the tip of the giant key in his hand. It swept through the keyhole in the door in front of him, unbolting it with its magical power.

Knowing he could now get into the house, Sora ceased sending out the energy of his Keyblade. He lowered his arm so that his weapon was at his side, where it vanished completely in a second flash of light. Sora stepped up onto the doorstep, pushing down on the door's handle and allowed it to swing open. He peered into the vacant lounge inside the house. Though it was darker than it was outside, enough daylight had crept in so that he would see where he was going. He would have no trouble carrying Kairi up to her room without switching any lights on.

The moment he turned back to where she was lying on her lawn, Sora smiled softly at the sight of her. Their outing to Christmas Town had seemed to really exhausted Kairi if she was able to sleep through laying on the solid ground. He clumped over to her and carefully lifted her up from underneath her back.

The girl mumbled unintelligibly in her slumber. She had no idea that she was resting in the arms of her hero, who was carrying her into her empty house to take her up to her warm bed.

* * *

Sora stood at the side of Kairi's bed, holding the dormant girl over it and lowering her legs down so that they were resting on the foot of the duvet. He could now remove one arm from underneath her, but made sure his other one was still holding her upright. Using his free hand, he took hold of the top of the duvet and tugged it downwards. It was pulled out from under the teddy bear - which had still been lying there with its head against the pillow. Once he'd uncovered most of the mattress, Sora lay Kairi down gently onto it, resting her head alongside the bear's on the pillow.

Now that Kairi was on the bed, Sora delicately slid his arm out from under her upper back, then turned to the shoes on her feet. He couldn't tuck her into bed whilst she was wearing them. He placed his hands onto one shoe, pulling on it as delicately as he could. A few unconscious hums escaped from Kairi as the shoe slipped off her foot, leaving it bare. Sora placed it down onto the floor and at the side of the bed. It was soon joined by the other shoe, which he'd managed take off of Kairi's foot without waking her up.

All that was left for Sora to do to make Kairi warm and comfortable was tuck her in. He spread the duvet over her body. Only her head - which had fallen to the side and left her facing him without even knowing - remained exposed. As the teddy bear was lying alongside the back of her head, Sora picked it up and placed it near her face. It would be the first thing she would see when she would open her eyes that morning.

Sora knew his work was done, but he wasn't ready to leave yet. He kneeled down at the side of the bed. His eyes began tearing up again as he watched Kairi tranquilly sleeping. He gently ran a finger through her hair, restraining himself from sobbing out loud.

He loved her so much. She'd been his best friend throughout all the years they'd known each other, and with her beautiful looks and heart of gold, it had been impossible for him not to fall for her. She was the sweet, kindest, most wonderful person he knew. He'd never met anyone like her in his whole life - which was likely to end during the following day. He had one more outing to take Kairi on, which would maybe turn out to be the last time he would ever get to see her.

Sora closed his eyes and lowered his heavy head before getting up to his feet. He strode over to the open bedroom door. As he took hold of its handle and stood before the doorway, he turned to take one last look towards Kairi. There she was, tucked up warmly under the duvet, her head resting against the pillow. The teddy bear remained at her side, staring up at the ceiling with his beady eyes and the same smile sewn across his face.

With a tear running down his cheek, Sora forced himself to turn away and march out of the bedroom, quietly pulling the door shut behind him.

* * *

In the outside world, the sun had risen up a little higher. The pink colour it had turned the sky into was now changing into a blue. Its glowing rays were warming up the cold air. They were also causing the paintwork on the cars parked in the street to shimmer. The time had come for a few residents to get up, but none were around to witness what was going on outside Kairi's house.

Standing in front of the doorstep, Sora watched as the energy from his Keyblade swirled into the keyhole of the front door. He'd made sure he would not to leave the house unlocked while Kairi was asleep in her bed. He ceased sending out energy and lowered his outstretched hand, feeling certain he'd used enough power to secure up the door. Once he'd pressed down on the handle and found he'd successfully locked it, his Keyblade disappeared from his hand. Kairi would be safe now inside her house, but not even the fact it was down to him could make him feel any cheerier.

Sora unhappily turned around and made his way along the path, swiftly passing through the gateway at the end before heading down the sidewalk towards his house. As he walked onwards, he looked up at the brightening sky above him. It was still not light enough to be the time when Nikkou would be up, but he knew he didn't have long. He would have to quickly but quietly make his way up to his room, then change into his pyjamas and climb into bed before his mother would come in to get him up. It didn't matter to him that he was going to be exhausted all day. He was going to put up with however weary his body would be - for in a little while, he would be spending what little time he possibly had left with his dear mother.

* * *

**So Sora is reaching what is perhaps to be the final day of his life. He has one more left to spend with Kairi - but how is that going to turn out? That's what you guys are probably wondering, while I - and only I - have the answer. **

**Keep an eye out for the last few chapters. I'd like to finish off this story in about four more, as seventy would be a good number to round this all off on. Stay tuned to find out how Sora and Kairi will spend what will perhaps be their final day together - and how this long story will end. **


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